Overproduction and hypersecretion of fetal cortisol thus may arise from maternal cortisol in the fetal compartment and/or from pCRH secretion. Increased fetal cortisol (of maternal or fetal origin) may inhibit growth and differentiation of the developing nervous system, may damage the brain, and may have a programming or organizing effect on the fetal neuroendocrine system resulting in the permanent disorders mentioned earlier.