An increase in the number of miscarriages of baby boys in the U.S. in September 2001 was the result of stress caused by 9/11, according to a hypothesis presented in a new report. The spike in miscarriages that month - which led to an amount about 12 percent higher than would be expected - was potentially the result of a phenomenon referred to as “communal bereavement,” in which a national disaster (in this case, the terrorist attacks) causes widespread distress among a population even if the individuals do not have a direct link to the incident. Apparently female fetuses aren’t as sensitive to the heightened levels of corticosteroids, the chemicals the mothers’ bodies create due to the stress.
Stress of 9/11 blamed for 12 percent rise in miscarriages that month, new study reveals [NYDN]
