Early-Life Stress May Shape Gut Health for Years

A study published in Gastroenterology suggests that stress during pregnancy and early childhood may increase the likelihood of developing digestive problems later in life. Researchers report that long-lasting effects may be tied to changes in the gut as well as the sympathetic nervous system, a key part of the body’s stress response.

“Our research shows that these stressors can have a real impact on a child's development and may influence gut issues long-term,” said study author Kara Margolis, director of the NYU Pain Research Center. She added that identifying the underlying mechanisms could support more targeted treatments.

How early stress may shape brain and gut development

Early adversity—such as emotional neglect or other difficult experiences—can influence how a child develops. Previous research has linked stress during pregnancy and early life to altered brain development and a higher risk of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.

To explore how this connects to digestion, investigators at NYU examined the communication pathways between the brain and the gut. When these gut–brain signals are disrupted, people may experience conditions often described as disorders of gut–brain interaction, including irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain, and motility problems such as constipation or diarrhea.

“When the brain is impacted, the gut is likely also impacted—the two systems communicate 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Margolis said. The team aimed to look more closely at how early-life stress might affect these pathways.

Mouse experiments showed effects lasting into adulthood

The researchers modeled early-life stress in newborn mice by separating pups from their mothers for several hours a day. Months later—roughly equivalent to young adulthood—those mice showed increased anxiety-like behavior, greater sensitivity to gut pain, and problems with gut motility.

Motility effects differed by sex in the animal work: female mice were more likely to develop diarrhea-like patterns, while male mice were more likely to show constipation-like patterns.

Additional experiments suggested that different symptoms may be driven by different biological pathways. When sympathetic nerve signaling was disrupted, motility improved, but pain did not. Sex hormones appeared to influence pain without changing motility. Serotonin-related pathways were implicated in both pain and gut movement.

According to Margolis, the findings point away from a single, universal treatment approach. Instead, different symptom patterns may require targeting different mechanisms.

Large human studies supported the link

The animal findings were echoed by two large studies of children. In one, researchers followed more than 40,000 children in Denmark from birth to age 15. About half were born to mothers who experienced untreated depression during or after pregnancy.

Children of mothers with untreated depression had a higher risk of developing several digestive conditions, including nausea and vomiting, functional constipation, colic, and irritable bowel syndrome. The results also build on earlier evidence linking antidepressant exposure during pregnancy to a greater likelihood of functional constipation.

Margolis noted that the outcomes appeared worse when maternal depression was left untreated, suggesting that treatment during pregnancy can be important. She added that treatment may include therapy and, for some women, medication, and said her team is also focused on developing antidepressants that do not reach the placenta.

A second analysis used data from nearly 12,000 children in the US taking part in the NIH-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Researchers compared adverse childhood experiences—such as abuse, neglect, or parental mental health problems—with digestive symptoms at ages nine and 10. Any form of early stress was associated with more gastrointestinal problems.

Unlike the mouse experiments, the human data did not show meaningful differences between boys and girls in digestive outcomes, suggesting that early stress may affect gut health similarly across sexes at certain developmental stages.

Why this could change how gut disorders are treated

Overall, the research indicates that early stress may shape gut–brain communication in ways that contribute to long-term digestive issues, including pain and motility problems. The observation that different pathways may drive different symptoms could help clinicians pursue more precise, individualized treatments.

Margolis argued that patient history matters beyond current stress. “When patients come in with gut problems, we shouldn't just be asking them if they are stressed right now; what happened in your childhood is also a really important question,” she said. She added that developmental history could ultimately help explain how some gut–brain disorders emerge and how best to treat them.

The research team included investigators from NYU, Columbia University, and the University of Southern Denmark. Funding support came from multiple US agencies and research foundations, including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, as well as several medical and scientific organizations.