Title | Maternal hair cortisol concentrations across pregnancy and the early postpartum period in a Puerto Rican sample. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Authors | Horan, H, Cheyney, M, Torres, EGomez, Eick, G, Bovbjerg, ML, Snodgrass, JJosh |
Journal | Am J Hum Biol |
Pagination | e23718 |
Date Published | 01/2022 |
ISSN | 1520-6300 |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: Hair cortisol is a noninvasive, long-term biomarker of human stress. Strengths and weaknesses of this biomarker as a proxy measure of perinatal stress are not yet well understood. Hair cortisol data were collected from pregnant women in Puerto Rico to investigate maternal cortisol level variance across pregnancy. METHODS: In 2017, we recruited 86 pregnant women planning to birth at a large urban hospital. We aimed to collect four hair samples from each participant, one in each trimester and one in the postpartum period. RESULTS: Median cortisol in the first trimester (n = 82) was 5.7 picograms/milligram (pg/mg) (range: 1.0-62.4). In the second, third, and postpartum periods, the medians were 6.8 pg/mg (1.0-69.5), (n = 46), 20.1 pg/mg (5.6-89.0), (n = 30), and 14.1 pg/mg (1.7-39.8), (n = 9), respectively. These medians disguise a 10-fold and 50-fold variability for two participants. Our sample sizes declined sharply when Hurricane Maria caused major disruptions in services and participants' lives. CONCLUSION: Maternal hair cortisol concentrations were lower in the first and second trimester than the third trimester and early postpartum period. We also observed a wide range of variation in cortisol levels throughout pregnancy and in the postpartum period. |
DOI | 10.1002/ajhb.23718 |
Alternate Journal | Am J Hum Biol |
PubMed ID | 35001460 |
Grant List | / / National Science Foundation / 1628643 / / Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant / Kathryn Ross Award (Department of Anthropology) / / Oregon State University / Doctoral Fellowship and / / Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund / Senior Research Award / / Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund / |