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Chronically high Cortisol in Parents?

Posted , 3 users are following.

domonic36948
domonic36948

If a parent suffers from Early Childhood Stress resulting in chronically high cortisol and they carry this into their adult years.  When they have children can this condition be passed on to their children or at least one of their children? (fater to son, mother to daughter)?

Is there any scientific proof of this if it does in fact occur?

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • jazzyanne
    jazzyanne domonic36948

    Posted

    very good question i was thinking the same i have high cortisol, when i was expecting my son i lost my mum (you can imagine the stress i went throught) i am now thinking my son has low cortisol i am getting him checked i will let you know the outcome
    • domonic36948
      domonic36948 jazzyanne

      Posted

      Hi and thanks for your response. Sorry to hear that and yes I can imagine the stress.  Just to confirm, are you getting your son tested for high or low cortisol?  You said you have high cortisol.   
    • domonic36948
      domonic36948 jazzyanne

      Posted

      Thanks Jazzyanne.  

      I'm surprised that only one person has answered.  All the health centric people out there and only one person can comment. 

      Thanks for caring to reply.  

  • Roddy999
    Roddy999 domonic36948

    Posted

    Domonic, it really is quite unlikely that this condition is heritable. In principle, cortisol is pumped into the system from the adrenals in response to or to cope with _physiological_ trauma, not psychological. Unless the psy trauma is prolonged and/or felt to be life-threatening when, like with a high-stress job, there will be a cortisol response as being the best thing that the body has available.

    But my get-out clause is this - if someone is genetically predisposed to respond to psy stress with hypercortisol, then there is a 50/50 chance for each child of this predisposition being passed on . But it would only be activated if the child experienced the same sort of psy stress as the parent. I guess it might be advisable for the child when an adult to avoid high stress jobs.

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