[Relation between fasting during follicular phase of last menstrual period [LMP] and newborn's gender]

ABSTRACT

Fasting which is a fairly long period of hungry [about 15 hours], causes metabolic changes in human. The meal program is changed during the fasting, so the level of hormonal secretion and electrolytes will be alterd. These changes could possibly affect the gender of newborns that were born from fasting mothers. In this cross-sectional study, the questionair were filled in by mothers who delivered their babies from July 27[th] to September 11th 2004 in Hamadan Fatamieh Hospital. The pregnancy of these mothers were concurrent with the last Ramadhan month. The sex of neonates delivered by 196 mothers who were fasted for at least ten days and their follicular phase of Last Menstrual Period [LMP] corresponded with last Ramadhan month was compared with 175 mothers who did not fast as control group. The data analysed by X[2] test and p<0.05 considered as a significant difference. The results showed that the sex ratio in the newborns of fasted mothers with the mean age of 5.06 years was in favor of boys [156 cases, 78.6%], which was +/- 23.27 significantly [p<0.0001] more than the control group with the mean age of [23.57 +/- 4.93 years] [80 cases 45.7%]. Fasting in the follicular phase of LMP, could possibly change the sex ratio of newborns in favor of boys. Further investigations in different geographical places focussing on race and diet especially during the Ramadhan month are warranted