How the First Years of Motherhood Impact the Cardiac Autonomic Profile of Female Healthcare Professionals

Background: The conciliation between career and family is a relevant issue for working women, in particular during the first years of motherhood. Data about the state of the cardiac autonomic regulation in working women with preschoolers are lacking. Aim: To compare the cardiac autonomic profile of women with and without preschoolers via the analysis of the variability of the time distance between two consecutive R-wave peaks (RR) from standard 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram (ECG). Methods and Results: Fifty healthy active female healthcare professionals were enrolled: 25 with at least one preschooler (W_KID) and 25 without (W_NOKID). A standard Holter ECG was obtained during a regular working day. Segments of 5000 consecutive RRs were selected during daytime (DAY) and nighttime (NIGHT). Heart rate variability analysis was performed and the following parameters were considered for comparison between the two groups: mean (μ RR ), variance (σ 2 RR ), and the absolute power in high frequency component (HF) of RR series. HF RR was considered as a marker of vagal cardiac modulation. Only µ RR significantly increased from DAY to NIGHT in both groups, W_KID and W_NOKID. Instead, σ 2 RR and HF RR increased from DAY to NIGHT only in W_NOKID. W_KID showed lower σ 2 RR and HF RR during NIGHT, compared to W_NOKID. Conclusion: The presence of preschoolers lowered nocturnal cardiac vagal modulation of female mothers. This might represent a finalistic adaptation to facilitate reactivity to demanding tasks.