Gender-Related Heart Rate Differences in Human Neonates

The aim of the present study was to examine gender-related differences in heart rate of human neonates controlled for their behavior. Previous studies could not find any difference in male and female fetuses and newborns, although this gender-dependent difference clearly exists in children and adults. The heart rate of 99 newborns (47 girls and 52 boys) was measured with simultaneous video recording of their behavior. Results proved that alert newborns showed the same difference as adults: boys had a significantly lower baseline heart rate than girls. This suggests that heart rate is gender-dependent from birth onward.

[1]  W. Chang,et al.  Antenatal fetal heart rate and "maternal intuition" as predictors of fetal sex. , 1996, The Journal of reproductive medicine.

[2]  P. Stein,et al.  Differing effects of age on heart rate variability in men and women. , 1997, The American journal of cardiology.

[3]  T R Johnson,et al.  Complementary and non-coincident increases in heart rate variability and irregularity during fetal development. , 1997, Clinical science.

[4]  K. Janz,et al.  Heart rate monitoring of physical activity in children and adolescents: the Muscatine Study. , 1992, Pediatrics.

[5]  B. Leake,et al.  Developmental patterns of heart rate and heart rate variability during sleep and waking in normal infants and infants at risk for the sudden infant death syndrome. , 1982, Sleep.

[6]  H. Prechtl,et al.  The behavioural states of the newborn infant (a review). , 1974, Brain research.

[7]  M. Carskadon,et al.  Daytime alertness, insomnia, and benzodiazepines. , 1982, Sleep.

[8]  R. Cannon,et al.  Effect of combined 17 beta-estradiol and vitamin E on low-density lipoprotein oxidation in postmenopausal women. , 1995, The American journal of cardiology.

[9]  P. Schwartz,et al.  Are gender differences in QTc present at birth? MISNES Investigators. Multicenter Italian Study on Neonatal Electrocardiography and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. , 1995, The American journal of cardiology.

[10]  J R Alexander,et al.  Sequential 22-hour profiles of breathing patterns and heart rate in 110 full-term infants during their first 6 months of life. , 1984, Pediatrics.

[11]  S W Porges,et al.  Changes in heart period, heart-period variability, and a spectral analysis estimate of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in response to pharmacological manipulations of the baroreceptor reflex in cats. , 1985, Psychophysiology.