Glucocorticoids and the preparation for life after birth: are there long-term consequences of the life insurance?

Period before term (d) Fig. 1. Mean fetal concentrations of plasma cortisol with respect to time period (d) from delivery in the sheep (O), pig (0), man (A), guinea-pig (U), and horse (A). (I), Labour; B, birth. (Data from Silver & Fowden, 1988.