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.
Elevated cortisol levels can affect every physiological system in your body, including your thyroid and adrenal glands. It can make you anxious and irritable, lead to weight gain and bone loss, contribute to diabetes and heart disease risk, and deplete your energy levels. Cortisol is also known as the aging hormone. When cortisol gets too high, it puts you into a âfight or flightâ response, which stimulates your sympathetic nervous system and your adrenal glands. When this occurs, there is a decrease in your digestive secretions and an increase in blood pressure.