Visitors to the Royal society Summer Science Exhibition here can see how their stress levels affect the heart beats of an unborn baby and why it is essential for pregnant women to reduce anxiety.

The researches behind the exhibit, from Imperial College London, hope that it will raise awareness among families of the importance of reducing levels of stress and anxiety in expectant mothers.

Reducing stress during pregnancy can help prevent thousands of children from developing emotional and behavioral problems, they said.

Visitors to the exhibition will have the chance to play a game that shows how a mother's stress can increase the heart rate of her unborn baby.

They will also be able to touch a real placenta, encased safely in plastic. The placenta is crucial for foetal development as it usually protects the unborn baby from the stress hormone cortisol.

However, when the mother is stressed, the placenta becomes less protective and the mother's cortisol may have an effect on the fetus, said an Imperial release.

Imperial researcher's work has shown that maternal stress and anxiety can alter the development of the baby's brain.

This in turn can result in a greater risk of emotional problems such as anxiety or depression, behavioral problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and being considerably slower at learning.

Some studies have even suggested that it may increase the likelihood of later violent or criminal behavior. Their findings have suggested that the effects of stress during pregnancy can last many years, including into adolescence.

Vivette Glover, the lead researcher behind the exhibit from the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology at Imperial College London, said:
“ We all know that if a mother smokes or drinks a lot of alcohol while pregnant, it can affect her fetus.”

“ Our work has shown that other more subtle factors, such as her emotional state, can also have long-term effects on her child. We hope our exhibit will demonstrate in a fun way why we all need to look after expectant mother's emotional well-being, ” Glover said.

Click to read about “Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”