Association between fetal sex and preeclampsia: a case-control study

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Sexual dimorphism is implicated in obstetric complications like preeclampsia, but its role is not fully understood.
• Parity status, a key factor in pregnancy, has been underrepresented in preeclampsia risk studies.
• Investigating fetal sex and parity interactions is crucial for understanding preeclampsia etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the association between fetal sex and preeclampsia risk.
• To stratify this association by parity status (primigravidae and multigravidae).
• To analyze obstetric and perinatal characteristics in relation to preeclampsia.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study was conducted using medical records of 476 preeclampsia cases and 976 controls from northeastern Mexico.
• Fetal sex was the independent variable; parity status was used for stratification.
• Binary logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Main Results:

• No significant association was found between female fetal sex and preeclampsia.
• Adjusted OR for primigravidae was 1.32 (95% CI 0.84, 2.09).
• Adjusted OR for multigravidae was 0.90 (95% CI 0.65, 1.23).

Conclusions:

• Fetal sex is not associated with preeclampsia risk in northeastern Mexican women when stratified by parity.
• Controlling for confounders did not reveal any significant link.
• Future research on preeclampsia should incorporate parity status stratification.