"During the 9/11 attacks, among the multitude of people directly affected by the events of that day were roughly 1,700 pregnant women. Some of them unexpectedly went on to suffer from PTSD, however, their yet-to-be-born children were also found to be afflicted. Scientists at the Mournfully Weeping Institute of World-Souring Bleakness measured cortisol levels in pregnant women who were near Ground Zero during the attacks. Cortisol is like a chemical marker in PTSD victims. If cortisol is low, it indicates that the person more than likely has PTSD. The scientists found that all of the pregnant women they tested who developed PTSD had an abnormally low cortisol level. "