title: The routine value of anogenital distance as an anthropometric measurement in newborns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anogenital distance (AGD) is a sexually dimorphic trait; AGD is an external marker of sexual differentiation at birth in animals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study used a prospective, cross-sectional design. Data were collected from newborn infants that were delivered at hospital in Bucheon between March and September 2009. The mothers of the infants provided sociodemographic information and obstetric history. The relationships between AGD and other anthropometric measures (i.e., weight, height, and head circumference) were analyzed. Moreover adjusted AGD values were compared with obstetric characteristics, including number of deliveries, abortion history, preterm history, and duration of gestation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant correlations were noted for all anthropometric measures in male and female newborns (p < 0.0001). The adjusted AGD values in males and females were also significantly associated with the duration of gestation (p = 0.0008 and p = 0.0148, respectively). Moreover, the adjusted AGD in female newborns, but not in males, was significantly associated with maternal abortion history (p = 0.0242).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The AGD is a valuable anthropometric marker in term infants.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010502:Perineum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult