The male disadvantage hypothesis reconsidered: is there really a waker sex? An analysis of gender differences in newborn somatometrics and vital parameters.

Autor(en)

Sylvia Kirchengast, Beda W. Hartmann

Abstrakt

The male disadvantage hypothesis was tested based on a data set containing 3518

singleton term births, which took place at a German Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics. Gender

differences in birth weight, birth length, and head circumference as well as apgar scores were

documented and their association patterns with maternal stress parameters were analyzed. As maternal

stress the following parameters were defined: nicotine consumption during pregnancy, maternal age

younger than 18 years and older than 35 years, maternal prepregnancy weight status (underweight or

obese) and pregnancy weight gain of less than 9kg or above 15kg. It could be shown that all maternal

stress factors with the exception of low or high pregnancy weight gain reduced the gender differences

in newborn somatometrics significantly. Gender differences in the apgar scores were not significantly

influenced by maternal stress factors. The results of the present study plead for an increased male

vulnerability against stress factors even in utero.

Organisation(en)

Department für Evolutionäre Anthropologie

Externe Organisation(en)

Medizinische Universität Wien

Journal

Journal of Life Sciences

Band

Seiten

63-71

Anzahl der Seiten

ISSN

0975-1270

Publikationsdatum

2009

Peer-reviewed

ÖFOS 2012

106001 Allgemeine Biologie

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