Introduction: The fetus is very susceptible to harmful environmental influences during the development in the womb. One of the harmful factors is stress. Stress during pregnancy is responsible for an increased risk of the development of emotional distress in a not-yet-born child. Exposure to stress affects the development and organisation of the nervous system. Consequences of prenatal stress are autism spectrum disorder, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, emotional and behavioural disorders, depressive and anxiety disorders. Objective: To review the most recent evidence-based studies that present the latest results in the field of prenatal maternal stress and its effects on the fetus as well as the consequences present in later life of the individual. Methods: A descriptive research method with a systematic review, evaluation and analysis of foreign and domestic scientific and professional literature was used. The data were gathered and analysed according to the principles of meta-analysis. The literature was retrieved through federated search engine DiKUL and databases Cinahl, Medline, ScienceDirect, Pediatric Research, PubMed. The selection of hits was restricted to the selection criteria: article issue date, full text availability, contextual relevance of the source relative to the purpose of the study, the Slovene and the English language. Results: The children who were exposed to stress in-utero have an increased amount of cortisol in the saliva sample which indicates changes in the development of the nervous system and endocrine glands. It was demonstrated by two methodologically strong studies. Thirteen studies, two of which were methodologically very strong and the rest were classified in category II and III, proved that exposure to stress at the time of pregnancy is a risk factor for the development of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety in later life of the child. Prenatal stress has a greater influence on male offspring who are exposed to stress in the second half of the pregnancy. The mechanisms of action and transfer of stress are not yet entirely clear and researchers emphasise the importance of a larger number of methodologically strong studies.
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