Severe stress 'increases' illness risk during pregnancy

Pregnant women who experience episodes of severe stress may increase the chances of their children developing schizophrenia, it has been claimed.

According to the results of a recent study, the experience of severe stress during the first trimester of a woman's pregnancy could exact a toll on the unborn child.

Such an episode - when involving the death of someone related - has been found to increase the risk of a child developing schizophrenia by 67 per cent.

"Increasingly we are learning that the environment a baby is exposed to inside the womb is determining long-term health," said Professor Philip Baker, one of the individuals who worked upon the research.

"We are understanding more and more about the importance of the environment for a baby before it is born - that time inside the womb is crucial."

Professor Baker is an employee of Manchester University as a professor of maternal and foetal health and an obstetrician at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester.

Among the episodes of severe stress identified is the death of a parent or partner.

However, other possible stressors can include sleep deprivation, unemployment or divorce, although these were not identified by the study.