Mothers 'Inherit' Some Characteristics Of Their Children

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Mothers 'Inherit' Some Characteristics Of Their Children

Researchers to Present Amazing Discovery

MILAN (ZENIT.org). - Mothers undergo permanent changes during

pregnancy, in which they " inherit " some characteristics of the child

they carry and, through the child, also receive some characteristics

of the father.

This is but one of the surprising discoveries to be presented at the

congress entitled " At the Dawn of Human Life, " organized by the

Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Catholic University of

Rome. The congress begins Sept. 6 in the Vatican, as part of the

Jubilee of University Professors.

The child inherits half of his genetic patrimony from the mother. He

also " hears " the outside world while in the womb, through the

mother's body, a fact which substantially conditions the unborn

child's life. Now, research indicates that the mother also undergoes

long-term changes caused by the " person " of the child and,

indirectly, also from her husband.

Professor Salvatore Mancuso, head of the gynecology institute,

said: " We have proofs that beginning in the fifth week of gestation,

in other words, when a woman realizes she is pregnant, an infinite

number of messages pass from the embryo to the mother, through

chemical substances like hormones, neurotransmitters, etc. Such

information serves to adapt the mother's organism to the presence of

the new being.

" Moreover, it has also been discovered that the embryo sends stem

cells that, thanks to the mother's immune system tolerance, colonize

the maternal medulla, and adhere to it. What is more, lymphocytes are

born from here and remain with the woman for the rest of her life. "

Mancuso continued: " From the fifth week there is clearly a passing of

cells, but messages begin at conception. Even during the first phase

of cellular subdivision, when the embryo is moving in the fallopian

tubes, there are transmissions through contact with tissues touched

by the moving embryo.

" Later, after implantation in the uterus, the dialogue is more

intense through the blood and cells, and chemical substances enter

the mother's bloodstream.

" Finally, the child's stem cells pass to the mother in great

quantity, both at the moment of birth, whether spontaneous or

Caesarean, as well as at the time of abortion, whether spontaneous or

voluntary. These cells are implanted in the mother's medulla and

produce lymphocytes, which have a common origin with the cells of the

central nervous system; they have receptors for the neurotransmitters

and can make messages pass that the maternal nervous system

understands. "

He added, " An astonishing area of research is opening up. This is

information of enormous importance on the first phases of life. "

When asked whether it was difficult to make rigid divisions of the

phases of the embryo's development, Mancuso said, " It is a grave

error to make distinctions between the embryo and pre-embryo. It is

such an initial phase - one cannot of course speak of a central

nervous system - but the messages the embryo sends to the mother

express manifestations that are proper to the human species. The

instruments used are highly specialized chemical substances and

cells, such as stem cells.

" It should be remembered that if communication was lacking, the

maternal organ would reject the embryo. The dialogue makes possible

the perfect acceptance of an organism that is 50% foreign to the

mother's genetic patrimony. In fact, these chemical substances, which

express nutritional and metabolic needs of the embryo to the mother,

cause an immune depression in her that facilitates the acceptance of

the new being. "

When asked how long the fetus' influence on the mother lasts, the

professor answered: " Stem cells have been found in the mother even 30

years after the birth. It could be said, therefore, the pregnancy

does not last the 40 canonical weeks, but the woman's entire life.

" This should be cause for reflection also in regard to the hypothesis

of 'renting' a womb: In this case, the mother who carries the embryo

accepts a being whose genetic patrimony is 100% foreign, and who

will 'modify' her for the rest of her life. We have no idea of the

long-term consequences of such operations.

Regarding the transfer of the father's characteristics to the mother

via the unborn child, Mancuso said, " These are areas that are yet to

be explored. Of course it calls for reflection on a new way of

understanding pregnancy. Also, a very close tie is undoubtedly

created between man and woman, because the child has 50% of the

father's genetic characteristics. Moreover, the hematopoietic [blood-

producing] stem cells go to the medulla and produce offspring cells,

lymphocytes and neurotransmitters with the capacity to dialogue with

the maternal central nervous system. It is somewhat as though

the 'thoughts' of the child pass to the mother, even many years after

his birth. "

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