Preconception Stress and Pregnancy Serum Glucose Levels Among Women Attending a Fertility Center.

Abstract

Context:

The association between women's stress and pregnancy glucose levels remain unclear, specifically when considering the preconception period as a sensitive window of exposure.

Objective:

We investigated whether preconception perceived stress was associated with glucose levels during pregnancy among women attending a fertility center (2004-2019).

Methods:

Before conception, women completed a psychological stress survey using the short version of the validated Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4), and blood glucose was measured using a 50-gram glucose load test during late pregnancy as a part of screening for gestational diabetes. Linear and log-binomial regression models were used to assess associations of total PSS-4 scores with mean glucose levels and abnormal glucose levels ( ≥ 140 mg/dL), adjusting for age, body mass index, race, smoking, education, physical activity, primary infertility diagnosis, number of babies, and mode of conception.

Results:

Psychological stress was positively associated with mean abnormal glucose levels. The adjusted marginal means (95% CI) of mean glucose levels for women in the first, second, and third tertiles of psychological stress were 115 (110, 119), 119 (115, 123), and 124 (119, 128), and mg/dL, respectively (P for trend = .007). Also, women in the second and third tertiles of psychological stress had 4% and 13% higher probabilities of having abnormal glucose compared with women in the first tertile of psychological stress (P trend = .01).

Conclusion:

These results highlight the importance of considering preconception when evaluating the relationship between women's stress and pregnancy glucose levels.

• Authors: Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón, Olivia Chagnon, Aya Tanaka, Paige L Williams, Tamarra James-Todd, Jennifer B Ford, Irene Souter, Kathryn M Rexrode, Russ Hauser, Jorge E Chavarro
• Journal: Journal of the Endocrine Society (J Endocr Soc) Vol. 8 Issue 1 Pg. bvad152 (Dec 01 2023) ISSN: 2472-1972 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 38178907 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.