title: Disappearance of human chorionic gonadotropin after cesarean section with regard to fetal sex.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the influence of gender on the disappearance of human chorionic gonadotropin by cesarean section after fullterm pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine uncomplicated pregnancies: 26 had male (male group) and 23 had female (female group) fetuses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before the cesarean section the serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels were higher in the female than in the male bearing pregnancies. After cesarean section the human chorionic gonadotropin levels fell rapidly. The decrease in the human chorionic gonadotropin values was significantly faster in the male than in the female group during the first hours after delivery (2P < 0.02), while no significant difference was seen after 24 and 72 h.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows a significantly faster human chorionic gonadotropin disappearance rate in pregnancies with male compared with female fetuses during the first hours after a cesarean section. This indicates a gender difference, which could be related to different human chorionic gonadotropin molecular structures or to more specific metabolic events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Norway. jste@haukland.no
authors.forename: Johan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Steier
authors.forename: Per B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Bergsjø
authors.forename: Ole L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Myking
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin