Length of gestation and birthweight in dizygotic twins
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Despite the longer gestation of girls, their birthweight is less than that of boys. Because unlike-sex twins provide a natural situation in which to investigate the influence of sex on gestation, we compared birthweight and gestation of 1929 same-sex and unlike-sex dizygotic pairs. Length of gestation in unlike-sex pairs was similar to that of female same-sex pairs, and significantly (0.4 weeks; p=0.02) longer than that of male same-sex pairs. Birthweight of girls from unlike-sex pairs was similar to that of girls from same-sex pairs, but boys from unlike-sex pairs weighed 78 g more than boys from same-sex pairs (p=0.001). These data show that in unlike-sex pairs it is the girl that prolongs gestation for her brother, resulting in a higher birthweight than that of same-sex boys.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Tidsskrift | Lancet |
Vol/bind | 358 |
Udgave nummer | 9281 |
Sider (fra-til) | 560-1 |
Antal sider | 2 |
ISSN | 0140-6736 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 18 aug. 2001 |
Eksternt udgivet | Ja |
ID: 258333255