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Behavioural Differences Seen In Male and Female Fetuses LONDON, ENGLAND -- December 19, 1997 -- Behavioural differences between the sexes after birth have been widely researched but this is not the case for fetuses. In a Research Letter in this week's The Lancet, Dr. Peter Hepper and colleagues from Belfast, report that female fetuses move their mouths more than male fetuses. The researchers examined 39 women, all of whom were pregnant with a single baby, had no obstetric difficulties and gave birth to normal healthy children at term. There were 20 female babies and 19 male. By means of ultrasound, a view of the fetus was obtained at 16, 18 and 20 weeks' gestation and videotaped for 60 minutes. The number of mouth movements of each fetus was then counted. The investigators found that mouth movements increased with advancing gestational age and that females moved their mouths more often than males. Some might see the results as early evidence of stereotypical gendered behaviour, such as male reticence and female talkativeness. Hepper and colleagues conclude that mouth movements per se may have little function for the fetus, but are essential for the newborn infant. They add that the difference may reflect a more general pattern of advanced female development compared with males, perhaps beginning at conception. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version