Editor's Recommendation: A new study from the University of Cambridge has found that pinpointing the sex of a fetus during pregnancy may lead to a better chance of survival.
A new study from the University of Cambridge has found that figuring out the sex of a baby during pregnancy can lead to better life opportunities.
Baby boys are more likely to cause complications, possibly because they grow faster in the womb and need more nutrients and oxygen.
Now, after studying pregnancies in lab mice, scientists have found that the sex of the fetus affects the actual function of the placenta, while also influencing factors such as maternal obesity and stress caused by diet.
About one in ten women are affected by pregnancy disorders such as fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia — a life-threatening form of high blood pressure that threatens both mothers and children — but these conditions are difficult to predict and treat.
New research suggests that designing individual treatment plans and encouraging pregnant women to make lifestyle changes based on the gender of their unborn baby may be beneficial to their children's lifelong health.
"Parents usually don't want to know the gender of their children because they want to surprise their children. But in reality, knowing the gender helps to identify whether one pregnant woman is at greater risk than another, because we know that some pregnancy conditions, such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, are more common in women who conceive boys. Dr Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, a researcher at St John's College, said she conducted the study with a team from the Department of Physiological Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge's Trophoblast Research Centre.
"We're not entirely clear as to why this is the case, but it could have something to do with male babies growing faster in the womb." As a result, their need for the nutrients and oxygen provided by the mother through the placenta may be easily limited, so the baby boy may not be able to get all the things it really wants and needs to be fully developed. This may be because it may be less adaptable to stress or harsh conditions during pregnancy than women, with fewer requirements for women. ”
Dr. Sferruzzi-Perri's team published their findings in the journal Reproductive Biology. Another study, published in the Journal of Physiology in collaboration with researchers at research institutions around the world, shows how maternal obesity caused by diet alters the structure of the placenta and affects infant growth, including leading to changes in fetal sex.
Fetal growth depends on the function of the placenta, which requires energy from the mitochondria. Mitochondria are special compartments in our cells that help convert the energy in food into energy that cells can use as fuel. The researchers found that during normal mouse pregnancies, the placenta responded differently to supporting a female or male fetus, and that the lightest female fetus functioned better than the heaviest male fetus.
Dr Sferruzzi-Perri introduced: "The placenta has an amazing ability to change its formation and function. This can be seen from multiple levels, from the way cells form in the placenta, genes and proteins, and even mitochondria. These can all respond to different types of cues, whether it's the mother who has been eating sugary, high-fat foods, or the competition between siblings during pregnancy, when there are multiple children, but I think the most novel aspect may be that the way the placenta adapts seems to depend on whether the baby is female or male. ”
These studies show the importance of designing sex-specific treatments for placental insufficiency and fetal growth abnormalities, as well as personalized lifestyle interventions or treatments for obese pregnant women.
Dr Sferruzzi-Perri notes: "The data we generate in the lab does tell us that when monitoring pregnancy, we have to take into account the sex of the baby. Therefore, perhaps the treatment should be tailored to the sex of the baby. "Scientists already know that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in men and women depends on gender – the incidence of both diseases tends to be higher in men." Whether or not this stems in part from early life exposure, it's a very critical area where people like me and I are really eager to try and work it out. ”
In the UK, more than half of pregnant women have a BMI above the normal healthy range. This is worrying because obesity in pregnant women increases the risk of pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and stillbirth. Abnormal birth weight can also lead to neurodevelopmental problems and immune disorders in childhood, as well as obesity, diabetes and heart disease in adulthood.
"We are now building more and more evidence to measure a mother during pregnancy, such as her initial body mass index, her growth, her gestational weight, but also taking into account fetal sex." Usually, clinicians do take gender into account when looking at ultrasound images, as sex is an important determinant of fetal growth. However, we didn't really understand how this might be decided before; how it interacts with the mother's environment or the way she becomes pregnant. So our research provides clinicians with more information to make more informed decisions about how to handle pregnancy. ”
"It could be that women who give birth to boys need to adapt to different lifestyles, while women who give birth to girls need to adapt to different lifestyles."
Currently, for women with pregnancy complications, there are few treatments other than bed rest, dietary advice or early delivery, because the drug has the potential to pass through the placenta, affecting the various organs of the fetus, which are very sensitive. Scientists are now trying to design a treatment that only enters the placenta.
Dr Sferruzzi-Perri emphasizes: "These therapies will improve the function of the placenta, the way it develops, and even at the mitochondria level, how it produces energy to support fetal growth. These foundational work reinforces our conviction that the placenta is essential for a healthy pregnancy outcome and that fetal sex is also important. But by looking at different kinds of genes, proteins, and cellular mechanisms, we may be able to identify targets like biomarkers, especially in the placenta, to improve maternal and infant outcomes. ”
Source: medical Xpress
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