THE ESSENTIAL
- During the second ultrasound, the healthcare professional analyzes the fetus, specifically its spine and limbs from the shoulder to the hand and from the hip to the foot.
- It is during this second ultrasound that the sex of the baby can be known
During the fourth month of pregnancy, future parents can find out the sex of the baby during the second so-called “morphological” ultrasound. Some choose not to read this information before the birth. However, knowing whether you are going to welcome a little girl or a little boy could help ensure the smooth running of the pregnancy and prevent the risks associated with gestation. This was indicated by researchers from the University of Cambridge in England (United Kingdom) in a study published in the journal Biology of Reproduction.
For the purposes of their work, the scientists analyzed the pregnancies of laboratory mice. “Placentas from the lightest and heaviest fetuses were removed to assess the morphology of the placenta, the energy of mitochondria (structures within cells that convert energy from food into a form cells can use) , nutrient transporters, hormone control and signaling pathways”can we read in the research.
Male fetuses develop faster
According to the results, during pregnancy in mice, the function of the placenta varies between male and female fetuses. Clearly, the sex of the child can influence the functioning of this organ of exchange between the fetus and the mother. The authors suggested that pregnant women expecting a baby boy were more likely to suffer from complications because male fetuses develop faster in the womb.
According to the researchers, encouraging pregnant women to change their lifestyle according to the sex of their baby could have beneficial effects on the health of their child. “We now know that some pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth retardation, are more common in women expecting male babies than in women carrying female babies.”said Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, author of the study, in a statement.
“It could be related to the fact that male fetuses grow faster in the womb. So it could be that the nutrients and oxygen supplied by the mother through the placenta are easily limited, and the baby of this sex male does not receive everything he wants and needs to develop to the fullest.It may be that their resistance to stress or to the bad conditions of pregnancy is lower than that of girls, whose needs are less “, she added.