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. 2011 May;36(4):588-91.
doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.09.005.

Maternal salivary cortisol differs by fetal sex during the second half of pregnancy

Janet A DiPietro  1 , Kathleen A Costigan, Katie T Kivlighan, Ping Chen, Mark L Laudenslager
Affiliations

Maternal salivary cortisol differs by fetal sex during the second half of pregnancy

Janet A DiPietro et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 May.

Abstract

Maternal salivary cortisol was measured at weekly intervals from 24 to 38 weeks gestation. The total sample consisted of 120 women enrolled in staggered intervals in such a way as to generate weekly measures of salivary cortisol during the latter half of pregnancy. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed the expected increase in unbound maternal cortisol during this period, with a slight deceleration in rate of increase at 33 weeks gestation. Women carrying male fetuses had higher levels of salivary cortisol initially as compared to women carrying female fetuses; at 30 weeks gestation there was cross-over such that higher maternal cortisol was observed in women carrying female fetuses beyond this time and through term. Results highlight the importance of considering fetal sex as a moderator of contemporaneous and predictive associations between maternal cortisol and prenatal or postnatal development.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Unadjusted maternal salivary cortisol data from 24 to 38 week gestation plotted in weekly gestational intervals by fetal sex. There is a significant main effect for gestational age and a significant Sex by Gestational age interaction.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Unadjusted and modeled maternal salivary cortisol data and modeled data by fetal sex aggregated by visit. The main effect and Sex × Gestational age interactions remain significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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