ArticleBMC psychiatry2020
Cortisol and DHEA-S levels in pregnant women with severe anxiety.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 134 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of virtual reality on pregnant women and fetuses: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2025Pooled it
- The efficacy of collaborative psychological interventions in reducing anxiety levels in pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- The immune phenotype of perinatal anxiety in an anxiety-focused behavioral intervention program in Pakistan.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2024Trial
- Stress is not so bad-cortisol level and psychological functioning after 8-week HIIT program during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2023Trial
- Assessing the neuroendocrine and psychological effects of acute everolimus administration in healthy male participants.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Alterations in Adipokine Levels Are Associated with Human Perinatal Anxiety and Depression.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- From Pre-Foaling to Late Pregnancy: Cortisol, DHEA(S), Progesterone, 17-β-Estradiol, and Allopregnanolone Hair Concentration Profiles in Standardbred Mares.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Serotonin, cortisol, and DHEA-S levels in anxious and depressive pregnant women living with HIV.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- DHEA: a neglected biological signal that may affect fetal and child development.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2024Article
- The associates of anxiety among lung cancer patients: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as a potential biomarker.BMC cancer · 2024Article
- Steroid Hormones as Modulators of Emotional Regulation in Male Urogenital Cancers.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2023Article
- Within-person associations of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and testosterone hair hormone concentrations and psychological distress in pregnant and non-pregnant women.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2023Article
- Metabolites of progesterone in pregnancy: Associations with perinatal anxiety.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2023Article
- Corticosteroids as Selective and Effective Modulators of Glycine Receptors.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2023Article
- Research progress on the impact of anxiety and depression on embryo transfer outcomes ofZhejiang da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences · 2023Review
- Cortisol dysregulation in anxiety infertile women and the influence on IVF treatment outcome.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- Cortisol/DHEA ratio in morbidly obese patients before and after bariatric surgery: Relation to metabolic parameters and cardiovascular performance.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2022Article
- The Value of HPA Axis Hormones as Biomarkers for Screening and Early Diagnosis of Postpartum Depression: Updated Information About Methodology.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
- Chemokine profile in women with moderate to severe anxiety and depression during pregnancy.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Putative Mental, Physical, and Social Mechanisms of Hormonal Influences on Postpartum Sexuality.Current sexual health reports · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA complex interaction between cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S) is crucial in the stress system balance; several studies have reported increased cortisol levels during chronic stress and a weak counter-regulation by DHEA-S. During pregnancy, scarce information about this system is available, although cortisol and DHEA-S play an important role in the initiation and acceleration of labor. We conducted the present study in order to determine both cortisol and DHEA-S levels during the last trimester of pregnancy in patients exhibiting severe anxiety.
methodsPregnant women during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy were evaluated by using the self-reported version of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). According to the scores obtained from the psychometric scale, participants were divided into two groups: 1) patients exhibiting a cutoff score > 15 were considered with severe anxiety (ANX) (n = 101), and control pregnant subjects (CTRL) (n = 44) with a cutoff score < 5. Morning cortisol, DHEA-S and Cortisol/DHEA-S index were measured in all participants. Comparisons between groups were performed; additionally, correlations between clinical variables, biochemical data and HARS were calculated.
resultsCortisol levels were significantly higher in the ANX group (p < 0.001), whereas those of DHEA-S were significantly lower in the same group (p < 0.01) when compared to healthy pregnant subjects. An increased cortisol/DHEA-S index was observed in the ANX group (p < 0.05). A significant association between cortisol and HARS scores (p = 0.03), was observed even after adjusting by gestational weeks (p = 0.004).
conclusionsOur data support that the cortisol/DHEA-S index is higher in pregnant women with high anxiety levels as compared with healthy pregnant women.
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