1 A woman will not necessarily experience the same symptoms in the same way in subsequent pregnancies as with her first pregnancy. 2  Certain symptoms, like absence of menstruation and weight gain, are common to all pregnancies. 3  Other possible symptoms of early pregnancy include.  mood changes,
Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels also increase risk for depression, mental illness, and lower life expectancy. This week, two separate studies were published in Science linking elevated cortisol levels as a potential trigger for mental illness and decreased resilienceâespecially in adolescence.
Exposure to cortisol over the long term can lead to weight gain, as your appetite and insulin levels are continuously increased. If stress and cortisol levels stay high, so will insulin levels, says Robert M. Sapolsky, Ph.D., a professor of biological sciences and neuroscience at Stanford University.