Psychological distress in women carrying fetuses with congenital heart disease, or CHD, is associated with impaired cerebellar and hippocampal development during the second half of gestation, according to results from a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

“Prenatal signs or symptoms of stress or depression and anxiety are common when we're dealing with a high-risk pregnancy or a high-risk fetus, and it's very important [for pregnant women] to talk to their providers about the feelings that they may be experiencing,” Catherine Limperopoulos, PhD, director of the Center for the Developing Brain at Children’s National Hospital, told Healio. “The goal is to ensure that we can connect these women with mental health services so that we can better support their behavioral well-being and try to work through some of the stress and anxiety that they're experiencing in a more supportive way.”