Sex of Baby Drives Response to Pregnancy Stress

[The Straight Story]

Sex of Baby Drives Response to Pregnancy Stress

ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — University of Adelaide research is showing that the sex of the baby determines the way it responds to stressors during pregnancy and its ability to survive pregnancy complications.

Male and female babies during pregnancy show different growth and development patterns following stressors during pregnancy such as disease, cigarette use or psychological stress.

The research is being carried out by the Robinson Institute's Pregnancy and Development Group, based at the Lyell McEwin Hospital and led by Associate Professor Vicki Clifton.

"What we have found is that male and female babies will respond to a stress during pregnancy by adjusting their growth patterns differently," said Professor Clifton.

"The male, when mum is stressed, pretends it's not happening and keeps growing, so he can be as big as he possibly can be. The female, in response to mum's stress, will reduce her growth rate a little bit; not too much so she becomes growth restricted, but just dropping a bit below average.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429092930.htm

[Rex]

1. Interesting.

[maxsolomon]

2. "The male... pretends it's not happening..."

shocking.

[Darth_Kitten]

6. LOL

males are unfazed.....even in the womb.

[zazen]

3. she "reduces her growth rate a little bit?" I didn't think self-deprecation was so inborn

The sociobiologists will love this. . .

[SoCalDem]

4. prenatal anorexia.. how bizarre

[Darth_Kitten]

5. does my little tushie look big?

:hide:

[cbdo2007]

7. Also I heard that more girls are born vaginally because boys won't ask for directions.

bada-bing!