Stress during pregnancy may affect the baby’s sex, say studies

Researchers from Columbia University recently revealed that stress during pregnancy could affect the baby’s sex. Researchers have analysed and assessed around 33,000 births regarding this matter. This is a severe issue but on a more pressing matter, stress can issue several other harmful effects on a mother. Stress also possesses a greater threat to a mother’s immune system. Stressing during pregnancy is common, but higher levels of stress that go on for a long time can lead to health problems.

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What causes stress during pregnancy?

Pregnancy changes your body in several ways. Discomforts are caused due to nausea, constipation, being tired or having a backache. Your hormones are changing during the pregnancy which causes mood swings. The thought of going into labour also causes anxiety. Daily life and work lead to exhaustion and this results in stress as well. Also, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) causes great harm to your body and mental health. You can relax and assess what induces stress. This way you can figure out the problem and deal with it.

Not only physical but mental health matters, not only to the mother but also the baby. From the proceeding of PNAS, it was determined that the sex ratio in the physically and psychologically stressed groups favoured girls, with male-to-female ratios of 4:9 and 2:3, respectively. Studies suggest that pregnant women experiencing physical and psychological stress are less likely to have a boy. Psychologically stressed mother also undergo complications during birth. When social support was exercised among them, the stress that was induced gradually slowed down.

How to alleviate it

Although there are many complications during birth when stress cripples you, it can be neutralized. There are various tips you can follow which will help you lessen your pain or alleviate it altogether. You can eat well, try gentle exercises, get enough sleep, and most importantly, talk about it. Remember, talking about it is the key. You do not need to cope with it alone.

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