Pregnancy or stress decrease complexity of CA3 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus of adult female rats

► Stress decreases morphology of CA3 pyramidal neurons in virgin and pregnant females. ► Pregnant females have less complex CA3 pyramidal neurons compared to virgins. ► Stress and pregnancy do not affect morphology of CA1 pyramidal neurons. ► Litter characteristics tend to be associated with changes in hippocampal morphology.