The hormone cortisol, which helps our bodies respond to stress, is believed to be essential for fetal development. Experts from Odense University Hospital in Denmark have previously shown that this can lead to early language development in the child.
Scientists now note that too much cortisol in the third trimester of pregnancy (from week 27 to the end of pregnancy, approximately 37-42 weeks) can affect the child’s cognitive functions later on. Especially when the child turns seven years old.
Experts presented a new study at the 26th European Endocrinology Congress in Stockholm. They say girls may be less sensitive to cortisol. This is due to the function of the placenta during pregnancy. Women carrying a girl tend to produce more cortisol during pregnancy, but an enzyme in the placenta controls how much reaches the fetus. This enzyme converts cortisol into cortisone, an inactive version of the hormone.
But boys may be more vulnerable to the effects of cortisol because the placenta does not protect them in the same way.
In the new study, researchers measured cortisol and cortisone levels in 943 pregnant women. They then compared this data to their children’s IQs seven years later.
It turned out that boys who were exposed to high levels of cortisol in the womb had lower IQ scores. But the girls’ intelligence was higher when cortisol was detected in their urine samples, not their blood.
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Source: Ferra
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