Abstract
Associations between maternal salivary testosterone at 36 weeks' gestation with birth weight and infant weight gain through 6 months of age were examined in a group of 49 healthy, pregnant women and their offspring. The diurnal decline of maternal testosterone was conserved in late pregnancy, and levels showed significant day-to-day stability. Elevated maternal morning testosterone level was associated with lower birth weight Z-scores adjusted for gestational age and sex, and greater infant weight gain between birth and 6 months. Although maternal testosterone levels did not differ by fetal sex, relations were sex-specific such that maternal testosterone had a significant impact on weight for male infants; among female infants associations were nonsignificant. Results highlight the opposing influence of maternal androgens during pregnancy on decreased growth in utero and accelerated postnatal weight gain.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 280-284 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2013 |
Keywords
- Birth weight
- Pregnancy
- Sex differences
- Testosterone
- Weight gain
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)