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Nausea During Pregnancy and Timing of Pubertal Development in Sons and Daughters: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Mette Rahbek Bruun1, Andreas Ernst1,2, Linn Håkonsen Arendt1,3

  • 1Department of Public Health, Research Unit for Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Clinical Epidemiology
|October 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Maternal nausea during pregnancy was not linked to the timing of puberty in children. This study found no association between pregnancy sickness and pubertal milestones in sons and daughters.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Endocrinology
  • Pediatric Development
  • Human Reproduction

Background:

  • Maternal nausea during pregnancy may indicate endogenous estrogen levels.
  • Estrogen plays a crucial role in pubertal development.
  • The relationship between pregnancy sickness and pubertal timing requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal nausea during pregnancy and the age of pubertal milestone attainment in offspring.
  • To determine if nausea, as a potential marker of estrogen exposure, influences pubertal timing in both boys and girls.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 14,612 children from the Danish National Birth Cohort (born 2000-2003) was studied.
  • Mothers reported nausea during pregnancy via telephone interviews.
  • Children's pubertal status was assessed from age 11 to 18, tracking milestones like pubic hair development, menarche, and voice changes.

Main Results:

  • No significant association was found between the duration or severity of maternal nausea in the first trimester and pubertal timing.
  • Extended nausea duration across the first two trimesters also showed no link to pubertal development.
  • Neither nausea duration nor its severity correlated with the age of attaining pubertal milestones.

Conclusions:

  • The study does not support the hypothesis that maternal nausea during pregnancy is a predictor of pubertal timing in children.
  • Pregnancy sickness, as a surrogate for estrogen levels, does not appear to influence the age of pubertal development.
  • Further research may be needed to explore other factors influencing pubertal timing.
Abstract

Keywords:
estrogenmaternal exposurenauseaprenatal exposure delayed effectspuberty

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