THE EFFECT OF FETAL SEX ON CUSTOMISED FETAL GROWTH CHARTS

Objective To evaluate the effect of fetal sex on singleton pregnancy growth charts customized for parental characteristics, race and parity Methods In a multicentric cross-sectional study, 8070 ultrasonographic examinations from low risk singleton pregnancies between 16 and 40 weeks of gestation were considered. The fetal measurements obtained were biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL). Quantile regression was used to examine the impact of fetal sex across the biometric percentiles of the fetal measurements considered together with parents' height, weight, parity and race. Results Fetal gender resulted to be a significant covariate for BDP, HC and AC with higher values for male fetuses (p≤0.0009). Minimal differences were found among sexes for FL. Parity, maternal race, paternal height and maternal height and weight resulted significantly related to the fetal biometric parameters considered independently from fetal gender. Conclusion In this study we constructed customized biometric growth charts for fetal sex, parental and obstetrical characteristics using quantile regression. The use of gender-specific charts offers the advantage to define individualized normal ranges of fetal biometric parameters at each specific centile. This approach may improve the antenatal identification of abnormal fetal growth.