There's an age-old belief that when a pregnant mom experiences frequent morning sickness, she's likely having a baby girl. A new study says that there could be some truth to this as researchers discovered the baby's sex can influence the mother's health and immune system.
The study, published in the Brain, Behavior and Immunity journal, followed and examined 80 women whose cytokines in the blood system were measured. Cytokines determine inflammation levels, which is the body's immunity marker.
According to Net Doctor, inflammation helps medical experts see if the body is stressed or fatigued, which could also trigger other medical conditions like body pains, nausea and asthma. The experts learned that pregnant moms carrying a baby girl are more susceptible to illnesses during their pregnancy term compared to women carrying a baby boy because they produce more "pro-inflammatory cytokines," Science Daily reports.
"This means that women carrying female fetuses exhibited a heightened inflammatory response when their immune system was challenged, compared to women carrying male fetuses," lead study author Amanda Mitchell of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research in Ohio said. Mitchell, however, qualified more research is needed in their study, but the initial results so far could help pregnant women and their doctors deal with health concerns.
So, what must pregnant moms do if their inflammatory responses are high? "It's important to think about supporting healthy immune function, which doesn't necessarily mean boosting it -- it's problematic to have too little or too great of an immune response," she said.
Pregnant mothers dealing with morning sickness or experiencing nausea or body pain could manage better by doing exercises, getting plenty of good rest or adding more leafy greens and protein-rich food in their diet, according to Baby Center. They can also practice meditation and get regular prenatal care to ensure that their health, as well as the baby's, remain in top condition.
