Abstract
ObjectiveIt is known that the concentration of salivary secretory IgA (sIgA), which is a local immunity, changes according to different levels of stress. In previous research, it has been reported that there are changes in the concentration of salivary sIgA due to exercise load and psychological stress, but there is not much data about pregnant and puerperal women. The objective of this research is to collect longitudinal and basic data about the salivary sIgA concentration from the time of pregnancy to the puerperal period, and to compare stress levels of Cesarean section delivery with those of vaginal delivery.MethodThe salivary sIgA concentration was measured using the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) against 61 healthy pregnant women (of whom 19 had decided on scheduled Caesarean deliveries, and 42 on vaginal deliveries. Saliva samples were taken three times: during pregnancy, directly after delivery, and during the puerperal period. The subjects were also asked to complete a Profile of Moods States (POMS). The ages of the subjects, parous experience, duration of labor, blood loss, and gestational age were also noted, as physical factors.Results1) There was a large individual difference in the salivary sIgA, between subjects but a rather strong positive correlation (PConclusionsDepending on the method of delivery, it can be understood that the changes in the sIgA concentration during pregnancy and the puerperal period have different dynamics. These findings suggest that directly after delivery Cesarean section group mothers were under a lot of stress by comparison with the vaginal birth group. However, in view of the marked increase in the sIgA concentration in the Cesarean section group, it is also possible that other variables apart from stress (such as the influence of anesthetics) may affect the sIgA values. There is a need to consider particular factors linked to method of delivery when evaluating levels of stress during pregnancy and the puerperal period.
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