Sending and Receiving: Biochemical Communication of Emotions Between Prenate and Mother: A Call for Early Intervention

This review article presents evidence for prenatal biochemical communication
involving the mother, the placenta, and the prenate, and calls for prenatal intervention for at-risk dyads. The
concept of prenatal biochemical communication is based on the view that the develoment of the self starts
prenatally and is continuous and incremental. The study of prenatal programming has led to an understanding
that the prenate and mother reciprocally influence each other via the placenta, which also provides many of its
own contributions to the biochemistry of pregnancy, and that these effects may have long-range consequences
in determining the course of adult health. Recent research has expanded this understanding to include the
biochemicals associated with emotions and their transmission between the prenate and the mother, mediated
by the placenta. After briefly touching on prenatal stress, which has been extensively studied, the review
focuses on recent studies of maternal depression and PTSD. Hyperactivity, which may be a generic marker of
prenatal stress response, is also briefly considered. The review concludes with a call for prenatal intervention
for at risk mother-prenate dyads. KEY WORDS: Biochemical communication, prenatal programming,
pregnancy, maternal depression, PTSD, prenatal intervention.