Maternal psychological stress-induced developmental disability, neonatal mortality and stillbirth in the offspring of Wistar albino rats.

Background: Stress is an inevitable part of life, and maternal stress during the gestational period has dramatic effects in the early programming of the physiology and behavior of offspring. The developmental period is crucial for the well-being of the offspring. Prenatal stress influences the developmental outcomes of the fetus, in part because the developing brain is particularly vulnerable to stress.