Maternal Serum Steroid Levels Are Unrelated to Fetal Sex: A Study in Twin Pregnancies

Cohen-Bendahan, Celina C. C.; Goozen, Stephanie Helena Maria Van; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Cohen‐Kettenis, Peggy T.

doi:10.1375/1832427053738764

Cited by 19 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…In humans, there are two possible routes for prenatal testosterone transfer between fetuses: the maternal–fetal and the feto–fetal route (34). One study of pregnant mothers of twins suggested that maternal serum testosterone levels were not different in pregnancies with OS and SS twin pairs (35); however, the study measured maternal testosterone levels at 24 and 32 weeks of gestation, although the highest prenatal testosterone production in male fetuses is occurring from 8 to 24 gestational weeks (36). The other suggested route goes directly from fetus to fetus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of Sex-Specific Cancers in Opposite-Sex and Same-Sex Twins in Denmark and Sweden

Ahrenfeldt

Skytthe

Möller

et al. 2015

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &Amp; Prevention

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Background Increasing evidence shows that some cancers originate in utero. It is hypothesized that elevated exposure to some steroid hormones might increase cancer risk and that hormone transfer between twin fetuses could result in different prenatal exposure to testosterone. Methods This large-scale prospective twin study compared opposite-sex (OS) and same-sex (SS) twins to test the impact of intrauterine exposures on cancer risk. On the basis of the Danish and Swedish twin and cancer registries, we calculated incidence rate ratios for OS and SS twins, whereas standardized incidence ratios (SIR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for OS/SS twins compared with the general population. Results Atotal of 18,001 cancers were identified during 1943–2009. No significant differences were observed between OS and SS twins, neither for the sex-specific cancers nor for cancer at all sites. All-cause cancer was slightly reduced for OS and SS twins compared with the general population, significant for OS males (SIR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92–0.98) and for SS males and females (SIR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94–0.99). Conclusions Our data suggest that having a male co-twin—which may entail higher exposure to prenatal testosterone—does not increase the risk of sex-specific cancers in OS females. Furthermore, the study supports that twinning per se is not a risk factor of cancer. Impact Findings are reassuring, as they fail to provide evidence for the hypothesis that endocrine or other difference in the in utero milieu affects the risk of sex-specific cancers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of Sex-Specific Cancers in Opposite-Sex and Same-Sex Twins in Denmark and Sweden

Ahrenfeldt

Skytthe

Möller

et al. 2015

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &Amp; Prevention

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“…He interpreted this as a sign that T can transfer, at least from the fetus to the mother. However, several other studies failed to find a difference in maternal T levels by the sex of the fetus (Glass and Klein, 1981;Rodeck et al, 1985;van de Beek et al, 2004;Cohen-Bendahan et al, 2005b;Toriola et al, 2011). In fact, studies that measured T in both amniotic fluid and maternal serum found no correlation between the two measures (Rodeck et al, 1985;van de Beek et al, 2004).…”

Section: Testosterone Transfermentioning

confidence: 98%

The Effect of Sibling's Gender on Earnings, Education and Family Formation

Péter

Lundborg²,

Webbink³

2015

SSRN Journal

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Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in AbstractWe examine how the gender of a sibling affects earnings, education and family formation.Identification is complicated by parental preferences: if parents prefer certain sex compositions over others, children's gender affects not only the outcomes of other children but also the very existence of potential additional children. We address this problem by looking at dizygotic twins.In these cases, the two children are born at the same time, so parents cannot make decisions about one twin based on the gender of the other twin.We find that the gender of the sibling influences both men and women, but in a different way.Men with brothers earn more and are more likely to get married and have children than men with sisters. Women with sisters obtain lower education and give birth earlier than women with brothers. Our analysis shows that the family size channel cannot explain the findings. Instead, the most likely explanation is that siblings affect each other via various social mechanisms.

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“…In humans, it is at present unclear how a possible increased prenatal testosterone exposure is caused. Although it has been reported that next to the direct feto-fetal route, hormone transfer in humans may occur through the indirect maternal-fetal transfer route (via maternal bloodstream) (16), it has more recently been found that maternal serum steroid levels are unrelated to fetal sex of twins (50). This would make the direct feto-fetal route more plausible as a source of prenatal testosterone exposure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does having a twin brother make for a bigger brain?

Peper

Brouwer

Baal

et al. 2009

European Journal of Endocrinology

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Objective: Brain volume of boys is larger than that of girls by w10%. Prenatal exposure to testosterone has been suggested in the masculinization of the brain. For example, in litter-bearing mammals intrauterine position increases prenatal testosterone exposure through adjacent male fetuses, resulting in masculinization of brain morphology. Design: The influence of intrauterine presence of a male co-twin on masculinization of human brain volume was studied in 9-year old twins. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans, current testosterone, and estradiol levels were acquired from four groups of dizygotic (DZ) twins: boys from same-sex twin-pairs (SSM), boys from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSM), girls from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSF), and girls from same-sex twinpairs (SSF; nZ119 individuals). Data on total brain, cerebellum, gray and white matter volumes were examined. Results: Irrespective of their own sex, children with a male co-twin as compared to children with a female co-twin had larger total brain (C2.5%) and cerebellum (C5.5%) volumes. SSM, purportedly exposed to the highest prenatal testosterone levels, were found to have the largest volumes, followed by OSM, OSF and SSF children. Birth weight partly explained the effect on brain volumes. Current testosterone and estradiol levels did not account for the volumetric brain differences. However, the effects observed in children did not replicate in adult twins. Conclusions: Our study indicates that sharing the uterus with a DZ twin brother increases total brain volume in 9-year olds. The effect may be transient and limited to a critical period in childhood.

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Maternal Serum Steroid Levels Are Unrelated to Fetal Sex: A Study in Twin Pregnancies

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Risk of Sex-Specific Cancers in Opposite-Sex and Same-Sex Twins in Denmark and Sweden

Risk of Sex-Specific Cancers in Opposite-Sex and Same-Sex Twins in Denmark and Sweden

The Effect of Sibling's Gender on Earnings, Education and Family Formation

Does having a twin brother make for a bigger brain?

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