Reproduction (Cambridge, England)Oct 8, 2026

How daily body clocks, sleep patterns, and hormone cycles relate to pregnancy outcomes and could improve pregnancy care

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Oct 10, 2026

Abstract

Disruption of circadian rhythms may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and gestational diabetes.

Circadian rhythms regulate key physiological processes essential for successful pregnancy.
Environmental factors like light at night and sleep disorders can disrupt these rhythms.
Disrupted circadian rhythms are linked to hormonal imbalances affecting progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, oxytocin, and melatonin.
Altered hormone production may impair maternal cardiovascular adaptation and increase the risk of gestational diabetes.
Emerging insights suggest that molecular clock regulation in reproductive tissues interacts with environmental cues.

Simplified

Circadian rhythms are fundamental regulators of physiology and play a critical role in reproductive success. During pregnancy, precise temporal coordination of endocrine, metabolic, and immune processes is required to support maternal adaptation, placental function, and foetal development. Disruption of circadian rhythms through environmental factors such as light at night, shift work, or sleep disorders has emerged as a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia. In this review, we synthesize current evidence linking circadian and sleep disruption to pregnancy complications, with a particular focus on the temporal regulation of key hormones, including progesterone, oestrogen, cortisol, oxytocin, and melatonin. We discuss how altered rhythmicity of hormone production and tissue responsiveness may impair target tissue function, maternal cardiovascular adaptation, and the development of gestational diabetes. We highlight emerging mechanistic insights into molecular clock regulation across reproductive tissues and its interaction with environmental cues. Finally, we outline opportunities for clinical translation, including chronobiology-informed diagnostics and chronotherapeutic strategies, to improve pregnancy management and reduce the burden of adverse outcomes.

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How daily body clocks, sleep patterns, and hormone cycles relate to pregnancy outcomes and could improve pregnancy care

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