Researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC), the Department of Pharmacology (Faculty of Pharmacy), and the Faculty of Psychology have analysed the levels of cortisol (a steroid hormone that is released in response to stress) in the hair of pregnant women in the period spanning from before conception to week 9 of pregnancy, to determine whether there was any link with the sex of the baby.
A total of 108 women were monitored from the first weeks of pregnancy through to delivery, to record their stress levels before, during, and after conception via the concentration of cortisol in their hair and various psychological tests.
by Hannah Joy on April 7, 2021 at 5:04 PM
Women who experience stress during conception are twice as likely to give birth to a girl than a boy, reveals a new study.
A total of 108 women participated in the research from the first weeks of pregnancy to delivery, having recorded their stress levels before, during, and after conception (via the concentration of cortisol in hair) and performed different psychological tests.
A study carried out by scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) has revealed that women who experience stress both before becoming pregnant and during conception are almost twice as likely to have a girl as a boy.
Updated Apr 07, 2021 | 20:12 IST
How much can stress mess with one s life? Some stress is good, but excessive stress can hurt a person in various ways. A news study says it also decides the gender of your baby. A baby s arrival is the sweetest thing in anyone s life | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
Doctors always highlight the need for family, friends and employers of pregnant women to provide support and reassurance to help them reduce stress.
Several researches and outcomes point to the effect of stress on mother and baby, but the latest research carried out in Spain points to the determination of the baby s sex (gender) being governed by the stress levels the mother is subjected to.
Women are twice as likely to give birth to a girl if they experienced more stress around the time of conception, a study has found.
Researchers from Spain recorded the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the hair of 108 women from around week nine of their pregnancy through to delivery.
Each hair measurement covered the cortisol levels for the preceding three months meaning the first one taken covered the period prior to and including conception.
The findings confirm that foetuses are vulnerable to the effects of maternal stress and that such can play a key role in their development.
Women who experience more stress around time of conception are twice as likely to give birth miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.