Biological correlates of mental stress related to anticipated caesarean section

The relationships between self-reported assessments of acute anxiety and several biochemical and physiological indicators of stress reaction were investigated in pregnant women at term in connection with spinal analgesia for caesarean section. Fear and apprehension were statistically significantly associated only with blood pressure and with an increase in heart rate from the previous day. The subjective estimate of the quality of the preoperative night's sleep was negatively associated with biochemical plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures of sympatho-adrenal activity. The previously reported negative correlation between body height and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA, an indicator of serotonin metabolism) in lumbar CSF was confirmed. The concentration of 5-HIAA in CSF was positively correlated with the levels of other acidic monoamine metabolites and cortisol in CSF. It is concluded that hormone and monoamine metabolite measurements in CSF and plasma have only limited usefulness as quantitative indicators of the intensity of preoperative fear and anxiety.