Cortisol and the Baby

In my third post I mentioned research looking at how a mother's life situation affects cortisol levels in the foetus. From a report on a new study we learn that a correlation between their respective levels of this hormone is measurable at 17 weeks of gestation.

An earlier study, published in January and led by Prof Glover, measured the intelligence of more than 100 babies and toddlers whose mothers had suffered unusually high stress in pregnancy. It found their IQ was generally about 10 points below average, and that many had higher than average levels of anxiety and attention deficit problems. Relationship problems with a partner were the most frequent cause of stress for pregnant women, the research revealed

Perhaps Aristotle was right. Don't argue around pregnant women.