Taking care of your health is of primary concern for women, especially during pregnancy. The health of the mother impacts the growth and well-being of the baby. Epigenetics is a crucial factor that affects pregnancy and fetal development. Pollution, chemical exposure, food habits and lifestyle choices directly impact your reproductive health. Lifestyle changes can help mitigate epigenetic changes and treat reproductive disorders in women.
The following are the things you must know about the role of epigenetics in pregnancy and fetal development.
Epigenetics is the study of how environment and behaviours affect genes. Factors like diet, physical activity and exposure to environmental factors can impact health. Epigenetic changes are chemical modifications to DNA that can turn genes on and off. They are a normal part of development and ageing. Stress, age and exposure to external environmental factors can alter epigenetics.
Epigenetic changes happen before you are born. The genes in your body act differently. These epigenetics determine the cell function. Epigenetics changes throughout life, from childhood to adulthood. Changes in epigenetics happen due to behavioural changes and environmental exposures. Diseases can also cause changes in epigenetics, and specific epigenetic changes can cause certain diseases, such as cancer. Infections can also change your epigenetics, thereby weakening your immune system.
● DNA methylation is one of the epigenetic mechanisms that control gene expression. Methylation is a process that turns genes off, and demethylation turns genes on. Environmental factors affect the protein production of cells. Increased DNA methylation can result in less protein production, and increased demethylation can result in high protein production.
● Histone modification is a class of epigenetic mechanisms that changes the structure of chromatin.
Role of Epigenetics in the Reproductive Health of Women
Epigenetics and changes in epigenetics directly impact the reproductive health of women.
Exposure to pollutants, heavy metals and harmful toxins can affect your fertility, leading to fertility issues. Environmental factors may result in pregnancy complications, less ovarian reserve, uterine fibroids and preeclampsia.
The prenatal environment is crucial for epigenetic changes. Pregnant women's lifestyle choices, food habits, and physical activity can affect the baby’s epigenetics. Nutrition is yet another factor. Insufficient nutritional supplements can lead to a wide range of pregnancy-related complications, including neural tube disorders, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and restricted fetal growth. Epigenetic changes increase the risk of passing down diseases through generations.
Early embryonic development determines genes due to changes in DNA methylation and histone changes. Epigenetic regulations impact placental function and development.
The following are the complications that result from epigenetic changes during pregnancy.
● Maternal malnutrition: Nutrition and epigenetics are closely associated. A pregnant woman's diet can impact the epigenetics of the fetus, leading to metabolic changes in the future.
● Gestational diabetes: Lifestyle changes can impact epigenetics, resulting in diabetes during pregnancy.
● Preeclampsia: There is a high risk of pregnancy-induced blood pressure due to changes in epigenetics during pregnancy.
● Prenatal Stress: Stress during pregnancy increases the risk of cognitive disorders affecting the health of the baby.
Epigenetic changes can affect the child’s health in the future. Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can have long-term effects on the newborn child, including asthma, heart conditions and neurological disorders. Deficiency in nutrients, including folate and choline, during pregnancy leads to epigenetic changes in the fetus that may affect the future metabolic health of the child. Exposure to toxins, poor diet and stress increases the long-term risks of conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues and metabolic disorders. Epigenetic changes affect the baby’s health in several ways:
● Changes in DNA methylation alter the genes that regulate blood pressure, lipid metabolism and inflammation in the baby.
● Changes in histone can disrupt the genes responsible for vascular function.
● MicroRNA changes can block how insulin works in the body and affect how blood vessels stay healthy.
Lifestyle Choices Can Affect the Baby’s Health Through Epigenetics
Smoking leads to changes in epigenetics. Non-smokers have increased DNA methylation in their genes. Smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy may result in detrimental epigenetic effects on fetal growth and development. Epigenetic changes are reversible in certain conditions.
You must stay active throughout your pregnancy. Regular exercise can improve epigenetic markers and, thus, impact the baby's metabolic health.
Stress during pregnancy can induce epigenetic changes in the fetus that badly impact the neurological development of the baby. This increases the chance of mental health disorders in the future.
Harmful environmental factors, including non-gaseous and gaseous pollutants, affect the endocrine system, impacting the reproductive health of childbearing women. This may lead to fertility issues, pregnancy complications and low ovarian reserve.
Exposure to harmful chemicals interacts with estrogen receptors, increasing the risk of preterm birth and miscarriage.
Exposure to heavy metals during childbearing age disrupts the endocrine function, affecting uterine function and oocyte production. This may lead to fertility issues, reproductive problems and an increased risk of miscarriage.
● Include balanced and nutritional food in the diet to promote healthy epigenetic changes.
● Exercising regularly to maintain an ideal weight can positively impact epigenetic changes.
● Look for ways to manage stress.
● Reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins.
To summarise, epigenetic changes can affect pregnancy and fetal development. Epigenetic changes can remain for decades, increasing the risk of long-term health issues in children. Understanding epigenetics can help manage pregnancies and increase the success rate of ART. Diet and lifestyle changes can help manage epigenetic changes and protect your baby’s health in the future.
The mother’s diet is crucial in affecting the baby’s genetic expression. Research reveals that the food you eat can alter the epigenetic state of the fetal genome. This can lead to metabolic changes.
High-stress levels during pregnancy can affect the baby's brain development in the womb. There are high chances of mental health issues, behavioural problems, and heart diseases for children whose mothers suffered from stress during pregnancy.
Environmental factors like pollution can alter the DNA characteristics within the placenta, thereby inhibiting fetal development through epigenetics that impact the fetus's genetic expressions. Exposure to toxins and harmful chemicals interacts with estrogen receptors, negatively impacting endocrine function and reproductive health.
