Children who experience higher cortisol levels in utero come out with better language

Children who experience higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol during the third trimester of pregnancy often demonstrate better speech and language skills in early childhood, researchers from the Odense University Hospital have found. 

The new study analysed data from over 1,000 Danish women and children, gathered as part of the Odense Child Cohort, finding that boys exposed to high prenatal cortisol levels could say more words, while girls understood more words at an earlier age. 

Specifically, boys exposed to high prenatal cortisol levels could articulate more words between the ages of 12-37 months of age, while girls were better at understanding more words at 12-21 months of age.

This is the first study to explore the connection between maternal cortisol levels and language development in children over time, providing new insights into the role of prenatal cortisol exposure in fetal maturation and child development, contributing to scientific knowledge about the understanding of cortisol’s role in fetal brain development and child maturation.

The researchers plan to investigate further whether prenatal cortisol exposure is also associated with higher IQ scores in children.

Recently presented at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology in Istanbul, the researchers are expected to make their findings available to the public shortly.