There is a good correlation between maternal and fetal
plasma cortisol levels and it is quite possible that
raised cortisol in the pregnant mother has a direct effect
on the development of the fetus and the fetal brain .
Different individual women have a wide range of cortisol
levels during pregnancy. It is thus important to understand
more about what causes some women to have
higher cortisol levels than others, and the nature of the
cortisol response to stress during human pregnancy