@article{28bf0d309f0011df928f000ea68e967b,
title = "Impact of the sex of first child on the prognosis in secondary recurrent miscarriage",
abstract = "BACKGROUND: The carriage of a male fetus often initiates maternal immunological reactions against male-specific minor histocompatibility (HY) antigens, which, in theory, could result in subsequent recurrent miscarriage (RM). METHODS: Information about subsequent pregnancy outcome was procured among 182 women with RM after a birth (secondary RM) referred since 1986 using questionnaires, telephone interviews and registers. RESULTS: Significantly more of the women had had a male first-born as compared with a female first-born (110 versus 72; P < 0.02). By January 2002, 58% of those who had a male first-born had given birth to a second live infant compared with 76% of those who previously had had a female first-born (P = 0.01). Women in the former group had a significantly lower chance of having a second child than those in the latter (adjusted hazard ratio 0.59; 95% confidence interval 0.41-0.86). The number of miscarriages after admission and the risk of secondary infertility were significantly greater in women with a male first-born than among those with a female first-born (P < 0.001 and P = 0.02; respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A male first-born seems to be associated with a less favourable reproductive potential among women with secondary RM. Maternal immunization against HY antigens may be responsible for these findings.",
author = "Christiansen, {O B} and B Pedersen and Nielsen, {H S} and Andersen, {Anne-Marie Nybo}",
year = "2004",
doi = "10.1093/humrep/deh516",
language = "English",
volume = "19",
pages = "2946--2951",
journal = "Human Reproduction",
issn = "0268-1161",
publisher = "Oxford Academic",
number = "12",
}