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Lacto-ovo-vegetarian women are likelier than mothers in the
normal British population to deliver baby-girls, according
to a study in 1998 of 5942 women booked in by midwives in
the School of Human Development, Faculty of Medicine and Health
Sciences, of the University of Nottingham. The veggies comprised
4.9% of the intake; 83.2% of the total intake were rated as
Caucasian, 13.3% of Indian/Pakistani origin, and 1.4% West
Indian. Comparisons were limited to the Caucasian babies,
because ethnic differences, particularly in the size of the
babies, would introduce confusion in the comparisons.
Differences were observed in the outcomes of the veggie and
non-veggie pregnancies, although few reached statistical significance.
Normal delivery rate was lower and instrumental delivery higher
in the veggies, of whom more were anemic, both before and
after birth. Fewer babies were born preterm to the vegetarian
women; percentages for both stillbirths and birthweight were
very similar. Fewer babies in the veggie group had a low apgar
score, but more had to be admitted to the neonatal unit.
Statistically-significant results arose in three of the outcomes:
only 10% of the veggie women smoked (against 24%) and 80%
(against 58%) were breastfeeding at discharge from hospital;
and the gender ratio of male-to-female babies was 81.5:100
(against a national ratio of 106:100). This finding, which
resulted after an extension of the study indicated that vegetarians
are likelier to have girl babies than boy babies. Other studies
of preconception diets and their effects on the gender ratio
indicate the following influences from the mother’s diet:
to conceive boys high intakes of salt, meat, fish, jams dried
vegetables, wine and beer are recommended, with avoidance
of milk, wholemeal bread, spinach, and mustard; to conceive
a girl, the diet should be high in dairy-produce, eggs, nuts
and clementine oranges, with avoidance of tea, coffee, wine
fish fingers, cheese, oranges, and peaches. The authors of
the report on the study (Pauline Hudson and Rosemary Buckley,
The Practising Midwife, 2000, 3(7), 22 to 23) observe: “The
lack of meat and fish in the vegetarian diet and high intakes
of dairy produce, eggs, and nuts which are a feature of vegetarian
diets may account for the difference in sex-ratio.”
Diets high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium are believed
to favor births of males. However, “there is no evidence
that vegetarian diets are low in these elements. It has been
found that women who do not smoke before and during pregnancy
are likelier to give birth to boys, an effect which would
be expected in a population which has a low percentage of
smokers, i.e. vegetarians. Our findings indicated the opposite
effect in vegetarian women and it may well be that the effect
of diet overrides the effect of not smoking. If diet is the
factor which lowers the sex-ratio in vegetarians it would
appear that this effect overrides the effect of vegetarians’
low smoking rate in pregnancy,” state the authors.
This study stimulates discussion of many other factors. The
lacto-ovos (“lovies”) represent semi-veggies; dairy
produce and eggs in diets before, during and after pregnancy,
especially in lactation, would be expected to exert a significant
effect and to count among other factors influencing the health
of the babies for the rest of their lives. The fathers’
diets and habits may also play a significant role.
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