Sex-dimorphic behavior in childhood subsequent to prenatal exposure to exogenous progestogens and estrogens

Ehrhardt, Anke Α.; Meyer‐Bahlburg, Heino F. L.; Feldman, Judith F.; Ince, Susan

doi:10.1007/bf01541430

Cited by 41 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Additionally, progestins, in both synthetic and natural forms, have been reported to influence the psychosexual development of humans. Children of women who were treated with synthetic forms of progestins during pregnancy, for the prevention of miscarriage, demonstrated a higher tendency toward aggressive behavior (Reinisch,1981), increased femininity in girls (Ehrhardt et al,1977,1984), and enhanced intellectual performance (Dalton,1976), suggesting that progesterone may influence brain development in humans as well (for review, see Wagner,2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of progesterone receptor immunoreactivity in the fetal and neonatal rat forebrain

Quadros

Pfau

Wagner

2007

J of Comparative Neurology

100

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Steroid hormones play an influential role in neural development. In addition to androgens and estrogens of fetal and neonatal origin, the developing brain may also be exposed to progesterone. In this regard, identifying forebrain nuclei that are sensitive to progesterone during neural development may elucidate the impact of progesterone on the developing brain. Using immunocytochemistry, the present study documented the distribution of progesterone receptor (PR) expression in the rat forebrain from embryonic day (E) 17 through postnatal day (P) 28. The results indicate that PR expression in the developing brain is extensive, present in numerous forebrain nuclei, but transient, in that PR expression was absent in most nuclei by P28. Regions displaying the highest levels of PR-immunoreactivity (PRir) were found in preoptic and hypothalamic nuclei including the medial preoptic, anteroventral periventricular, arcuate, and ventromedial nuclei. PRir was moderately abundant in the limbic region, particularly in subdivisions of the amygdala, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and hippocampus. The choroid plexus and neocortex were additional structures that demonstrated relatively abundant levels of PRir. The presence PR expression in the developing forebrain implicates the involvement of progesterone and PR in fundamental mechanisms of neural development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of progesterone receptor immunoreactivity in the fetal and neonatal rat forebrain

Quadros

Pfau

Wagner

2007

J of Comparative Neurology

100

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“…This pattern is consistent with theoretical work on gender suggesting that females are more interpersonally oriented and males are more individually oriented in their self-concepts and behaviours. As outlined in the introduction, arguments stemming from psychoanalytic interpretations (Chodorow, 1978;Gilligan, 1982), from social learning perspectives (Block, 1978) and from biological speculations (Ehrhardt et al, 1984;Urdry, 1994) converge on the idea that females are more biologically and culturally prepared to develop a social orientation to the world, whereas males are prepared to develop a more individual orientation. As early as 2 years of age, females are already engaging in more nurturing behaviours than are boys (Eagley, 1987), and during the preschool years, girls seem to talk more about emotions and emotional experiences than do boys (Adams et al, 1995;Dunn et al, 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender and self in children's autobiographical narratives

Buckner¹,

Fıvush²

1998

Appl. Cognit. Psychol.

153

131

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In this study, we examined relations among gender, self‐concept and children's autobiographical narratives. Twenty‐two white middle‐class children 8 years of age (50% female) were administered the Children's Self‐View Questionnaire (CSVQ). In addition, children were asked to recall a specific experience associated with each of the nine self‐concept dimensions assessed by the CSVQ, including Achievement, Alienation, and Social Closeness. Consistent with previous research with adults, girl's autobiographical narratives were longer, more coherent and more detailed than were boys' narratives. Girls were also more likely to place their autobiographical narratives in a social context, to refer to more affiliative themes, and to mention more people and more emotions than were boys. In all these ways, girls' narratives were more socially contexted and relational than were those of boys. However, no relations were found between specific dimensions of self‐understanding and children's autobiographical narratives. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Similar but less pronounced effects of these two types of exogenous progestins were found in boys (for review, see Collaer & Hines, 1995). Less is known about the effects of normal circulating progesterone levels during pregnancy, although an antiandrogenic effect on the fetus has been proposed (Ehrhardt, Meyer-Bahlburg, Feldman, & Ince, 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Prenatal Sex Hormones (Maternal and Amniotic Fluid) and Gender-related Play Behavior in 13-month-old Infants

et al. 2007

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Testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone levels were measured in the second trimester of pregnancy in maternal serum and amniotic fluid, and related to direct observations of gender-related play behavior in 63 male and 63 female offspring at age 13 months. During a structured play session, sex differences in toy preference were found: boys played more with masculine toys than girls (d = .53) and girls played more with feminine toys than boys (d = .35). Normal within-sex variation in prenatal testosterone and estradiol levels was not significantly related to preference for masculine or feminine toys. For progesterone, an unexpected significant positive relationship was found in boys between the level in amniotic fluid and masculine toy preference. The mechanism explaining this relationship is presently not clear, and the finding may be a spurious one. The results of this study may indicate that a hormonal basis for the development of sex-typed toy preferences may manifest itself only after toddlerhood. It may also be that the effect size of this relationship is so small that it should be investigated with more sensitive measures or in larger populations.

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Sex-dimorphic behavior in childhood subsequent to prenatal exposure to exogenous progestogens and estrogens

Cited by 41 publications

References 15 publications

Distribution of progesterone receptor immunoreactivity in the fetal and neonatal rat forebrain

Distribution of progesterone receptor immunoreactivity in the fetal and neonatal rat forebrain

Gender and self in children's autobiographical narratives

Prenatal Sex Hormones (Maternal and Amniotic Fluid) and Gender-related Play Behavior in 13-month-old Infants

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