I wouldn't be surprised if it did, but I doubt that there's much to be done.
My husband and two of our daughters suffer from them.  When the children
were small, some nights it would sound like "Bedlam," with one or the other
of the three of them screaming, jumping out of bed, frantically bumping into
furniture and disoriented and confused.  Trying to awaken them to reassure
them was difficult.  
 
People who confuse them with nightmares are way off.  This is serious stuff.
The heartrate often goes up to 150+ and the pounding heart, agitation and
confusion can last for 20 minutes.  So, I'd think it can't be great for a
fetus.  But, strictly testimonial, both daughters now have children and
they're fine, though of course there's probably no way you could determine
night terrors as a cause for one quirk or another, as it may not be the
stuff of research.  I can't imagine funding would be easy, as they don't
often occur every night (my husband has an average of two a month).
 
I'd be very interested to hear if anyone is familiar with any research.  
 
Beth Benoit
Granite State College
Plymouth State University
New Hampshire
 
From: Quanty, Michael [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 11:29 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Night Terrors and Pre-natal stress
 
I have a pregnant student who is worried that she is having frequent bouts
of night terror attacks that wake her in fright and asked if they could
create a stress reaction that would cause chemical changes in her that could
adversely affect her developing fetus. Is anyone aware of research relevant
to her concern?

 
 
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