Male births were much more likely to require the use of oxytocin, a hormone which stimulates contractions. "Of the women carrying male infants, 70 per cent of them had completely normal deliveries, compared to 76 per cent of females."
My general response is that it's a 50/50 chance that a woman will have a boy or a girl. But that's not exactly true – there's actually a slight bias toward male births. The ratio of male to female births, called the sex ratio, is about 105 to 100, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Only 7.6 percent percent of male babies and 5.5 percent of female babies were in the womb 42 weeks or longer. Males were also 1.5 times more likely to be born at 43 weeks or longer. The researchers noted that the most common reason for prolonged pregnancies is an error in calculating the due date.
Text: WASHINGTON -- Boys are slightly more likely to be born premature than girls, and they tend to fare worse, too, says a new report on the health of the world's newborns. "This is a double whammy for boys," said Dr. Joy Lawn of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who led the team of researchers.
Male baby pregnancies are more likely to result in complications, possibly because they grow faster in the womb and require more nutrients and oxygen than supplied by the mother through the placenta -- the temporary organ that attaches to the wall of the uterus during pregnancy to help the fetus grow and develop.
Research shows girls kick as often as boys. Babies who kick a lot in the womb are also more active after birth. Some mothers have more trouble feeling the kicks than others. If the placenta is on the front side of the womb, or if you are overweight, you will feel the kicks less.
A recent study suggests that carrying a male or female foetus could lead to different immune responses in pregnant women. Pregnant women carrying girls have a greater chance of experiencing nausea and fatigue, according to the results of a study from the USA's Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
They found that the most fertile months for conceiving a boy were from September to November, while the lowest fertile period was from March to May.
When mothers gained 20 lb, roughly 49% of babies born were boys. But when mothers gained 40 lb, the likelihood of having a boy increased, with about 52.5% of babies born being males. And at 60 lb gained, about 54% of babies were boys.
First babies are less likely to be “on time” at 39 weeks, and more likely to be a little late, between 41 and 43 weeks. Among full-term pregnancies, first babies are born about 1.3 days later on average.
Physical size and growth
Right from the start, boys tend to weigh more at birth and this trend continues as babies age, with girls measuring about a half pound less. But girls catch right up as the toddler years approach. Most of them reach half their adult height by 19 months of age.
Worldwide, boys are heavier than girls at term birth. This difference is thought to be generated by androgen action [2], but its time course during fetal life is unknown.
One study, published in 2001 in the journal Human Fetal and Neonatal Movement Patterns, found that boys may move around more in the womb than girls. The average number of leg movements was much higher in the boys compared to the girls at 20, 34 and 37 weeks, that study found.
The Y chromosome, which makes boys, contains less DNA than the X chromosome for girls. That means sperm that bear a Y chromosome swim faster in viscous liquids.
Harvard researchers say that pregnant women carrying boys eat about 10% more than those carrying girls. Their findings appear in the June 7 issue of the British Medical Journal.
How much weight do you lose after giving birth? Once baby has been delivered (along with their accompanying placenta and amniotic fluid), most women lose an average of 10 to 13 pounds. First week after delivery: You'll probably continue losing weight with the loss of retained fluids.
A new study has revealed that people born in April are the sexiest - and having a birthday in April myself, I'm obviously completely sold on the theory…
The least common birthday is leap day, or February 29. But because the day only occurs once every four years, it's obvious it would yield the least amount of birthdays. The rarest birthday of the 365 annual calendar days is Christmas day, Dec. 25.
A study done in the U.K. showed that May is the luckiest month to be born, and October is the unluckiest. It could have something to do with that optimism, since positive attitudes have been associated with greater resilience.
Three weeks into pregnancy, women carrying girls exhibited hormone levels 18.5 percent higher than those of their boy-carrying counterparts, regardless of factors such as previous pregnancies or maternal age. Finding this gender-related difference so early in pregnancy may help explain how it occurs.
Does morning sickness vary based on sex of the baby? A 2020 study of 4,320 pregnancies found that women who carried female babies had slightly more severe NVP than those with male fetuses.
You can typically find out the sex of your baby via ultrasound. This will be performed between 18 and 20 weeks. The ultrasonographer will look at your baby's image on the screen and examine the genitals for different markers that suggest boy or girl. This is part of a larger anatomy scan.
Boys are 14% more likely to be born prematurely than girls, according to new figures, which show an extra 5,700 boys are born early each year in the UK.