Fetal Sex Plays Role in Immunity of Pregnant Women, New Study Finds

Women tend to react with stronger responses to immune challenges while pregnant with girls than with boys, a new study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity has found.

The study by Mitchell et al shows baby’s sex is associated with pregnant women’s immune responses.

The study by Mitchell et al shows baby’s sex is associated with pregnant women’s immune responses.

A team of scientists at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center followed 80 pregnant women (46 with male and 34 with female fetuses) across the course of their pregnancy and examined whether women exhibited different levels of immune markers called cytokines based on fetal sex.

Analyses were conducted on levels of cytokines in the blood and levels produced by a sample of immune cells that were exposed to bacteria in the lab.

“While women didn’t exhibit differences in blood cytokine levels based on fetal sex, we did find that the immune cells of women carrying female fetuses produced more pro-inflammatory cytokines when exposed to bacteria,” explained lead author Dr. Amanda Mitchell, a researcher in the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“This means that women carrying female fetuses exhibited a heightened inflammatory response when their immune system was challenged, compared to women carrying male fetuses.”

Inflammation is a critical part of the immune response involved in wound healing and responses to viruses, bacteria and chronic illnesses.

However, excessive inflammation is stressful to the body and can contribute to sickness-related symptoms, such as achiness and fatigue.

While more research is needed, the heightened inflammation observed among women carrying female fetuses could play a role in why women tend to experience exacerbated symptoms of some medical conditions, including asthma, when carrying a female versus a male fetus.

“This research helps women and their obstetricians recognize that fetal sex is one factor that may impact how a woman’s body responds to everyday immune challenges and can lead to further research into how differences in immune function may affect how a women responds to different viruses, infections or chronic health conditions (such as asthma), including whether these responses affect the health of the fetus,” Dr. Mitchell said.

“While maternal inflammation can affect outcomes related to the fetus, like timing of birth, more research is necessary to understand how fetal sex is associated with maternal inflammation.”

“It’s possible the sex hormones or other hormones in the placenta affect maternal inflammation levels,” she dais.

“It’s important to think about supporting healthy immune function, which doesn’t necessarily mean boosting it — it’s problematic to have too little or too great of an immune response.”

“That being said, research has shown that exercise supports healthy immune functioning, as does eating some foods, like leafy greens, and relaxing with activities like meditation.”

“Of course, it’s always important to check with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your routine or diet,” Dr. Mitchell said.

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Amanda M. Mitchell et al. 2017. Fetal sex is associated with maternal stimulated cytokine production, but not serum cytokine levels, in human pregnancy. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 60: 32-37; doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.06.015

This article is based on a press-release from the Ohio State University.

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