Mother's blood pressure is a key factor in the sex of babies

Study: Blood pressure indicated the gender of the baby
Women will certainly hear the same question a thousand times during pregnancy: Will the child be a boy or a girl? For example, although some old women think that they can predict the alleged sex of a child, there are no reliable ways to know the sex of the child before the 20th week of pregnancy. Researchers now found out that there might seem to be a way for a previous prognosis of sex.

Canadian scientists found during an investigation that women's blood pressure can provide information about the gender of the future child. This kind of determination of the sex could be used, even before the conception took place. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "American Journal of Hypertension".

Is there a way to determine the gender of an unborn child before conception? Physicians say the mother's blood pressure before pregnancy could provide information about the future sex of the baby. (Image: M.Dörr & M.Frommherz / fotolia.com)

Experts analyze the data of 1,400 women
For their study, the researchers analyzed the data of 1,400 newly-married women in China. In particular, they looked at their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels over a period of about 26.3 weeks before pregnancy.

Higher systolic blood pressure before pregnancy leads to the birth of boys
Overall, the pregnancies led to 739 boys and 672 girls. When the experts included external factors such as age, smoking and body mass index (BMI), an interesting circumstance was noted. A higher systolic blood pressure before pregnancy meant that the pregnant women were more likely to give birth to a boy, explain the physicians.

Blood pressure before pregnancy indicates the sex of the child
The results indicate that a woman's pre-pregnancy blood pressure is a previously unknown factor in determining the sex of the child, says Dr. Retnakaran. This novel insight could have implications for reproductive planning and our understanding of the basic mechanisms of human gender relations, the expert adds.

In difficult times more girls than boys are born
Previous studies have already shown that stress (for example, through war or natural disasters) can affect the proportion of born boys and girls, the researchers say. In such difficult times, more girls than boys would be born. Since our blood pressure is a key indicator of stress, the new study could provide an explanation for this effect. The normal sex ratio is 50:50. However, there is one factor that could cause some variation: male fetuses are more likely to die in the womb, explains Dr. Retnakaran.

Blood pressure affects the physiology of the mother
This study either suggests that low blood pressure may indicate that the mother's physiology is less conducive to the survival of a male fetus. Or a higher blood pressure before pregnancy is less conducive to the survival of a female fetus, says the author. Although the results of this study are very interesting, some experts remain skeptical about the results and further research is needed to get to the bottom of the cause of the relationship. (As)