Pregnancy attenuates activity of the baroreceptor reflex.

1. Pregnancy-induced changes in acute blood pressure regulation are reviewed. 2. Pregnant animals are less able to maintain arterial pressure during haemorrhage than non-pregnant animals. 3. Baroreceptor reflex-mediated increases in heart rate, renal sympathetic activity, vasopressin, ACTH and cortisol are reduced during pregnancy. Therefore, one explanation for the subnormal ability of pregnant animals to regulate arterial pressure during haemorrhage is that the baroreceptor reflex is not as effective. 4. Chronic increases in oestrogen levels in non-pregnant rabbits do not reduce the gain of baroreflex control of renal sympathetic activity. This and other findings suggest that oestrogen alone does not mediate the blunted baroreflex activity observed during pregnancy.