ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: There are a few studies reporting difference in sex ratio at birth in pregnancies complicated with hyperemesis gravidarum but it has not been reported in domestic journals yet. The purpose of this study is to evaluate difference of sex ratio in hyperemesis gravidarum patients compared to normal pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 111 women who were diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum and had delivered babies in Hanyang University Hospital between Jan. 1995 to Dec. 2000. The control group was 1995 women who had no obstetric problems including hyperemesis gravidarum during the pregnancy and had delivered baby at term. We compared the sex ratio of infant and the characteristics of these two groups. The study group was divided into two subgroups depending on the severity of disease, mild group and severe group, and difference of sex ratio in these group were also compared. We analyzed the data using student T-test and chi-square test and p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Compared to sex ratio(female:male) of control group(44.8:55.2), hyperemesis gravidarum showed the sex ratio of 58.6:41.4(p=0.005). There was no further difference of sex ratio between two subgroups of hyperemesis gravidarum according to severity of disease. CONCLUSION: In pregnancies complicated with hyperemesis gravidarum the sex ratio of female was significantly high. The studies based on more variables and larger population would produce more accurate results.