Consequences for maternal nutrition of reproductive stress across consecutive pregnancies

Abstract

Frequent cycles of reproduction increase the risk that lactation will overlap with pregnancy and shorten the duration of the recuperative interval (nonpregnant and nonlactating portion) within the reproductive cycle, thereby increasing the risk of maternal nutritional depletion. Nutritional responses to these stresses have been demonstrated by contrasting groups of women with different experiences; however, these relationships may be spurious and the result of third factors. In this study, responses to changing stress over consecutive pregnancies were studied and contrasted within individual Guatemalan women; biases caused by factors constant to women were eliminated. Stress was assessed by examining responses in maternal supplement intake, maternal fat stores, and birth weight. Overlap and short recuperative intervals were found to be stressful (in that order) for mothers as shown by increased supplement intake and reduced fat stores. Birth weight in term gestations was not affected, indicating that fetal growth is being protected at the cost of maternal nutritional status.