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Exploring the Influence of Fetal Sex on Heart Rate Dynamics Using Fetal Magnetocardiographic Recordings

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Abstract

Fetal sex has been associated with different development trajectories that cause structural and functional differences between the sexes throughout gestation. Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) recordings from 123 participants (64 females and 59 males; one recording/participant) from a database consisting of low-risk pregnant women were analyzed to explore and compare fetal development trajectories of both sexes. The gestational age of the recordings ranged from 28 to 38 weeks. Linear metrics in both the time and frequency domains were applied to study fetal heart rate variability (fHRV) measures that reveal the dynamics of short- and long-term variability. Rates of linear change with GA in these metrics were analyzed using general linear model regressions with assessments for significantly different variances and GA regression slopes between the sexes. The fetal sexes were well balanced for GA and sleep state. None of the fHRV measures analyzed exhibited significant variance heterogeneity between the sexes, and none of them exhibited a significant sex-by-GA interaction. The absence of a statistically significant sex-by-GA interaction on all parameters resulted in none of the regression slope estimates being significantly different between the sexes. With high-precision fMCG recordings, we were able to explore the variation in fHRV parameters as it relates to fetal sex. The fMCG-based fHRV parameters did not show any significant difference in rates of change with gestational age between sexes. This study provides a framework for understanding normal development of the fetal autonomic nervous system, especially in the context of fetal sex.

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Acknowledgements

We want to acknowledge Ms. Heather Moody’s contribution to recruitment, consenting and data collection.

Funding

The SARA device was designed and built with a grant funded through National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 NS036277.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Luis Mercado, Diana Escalona-Vargas & Hari Eswaran

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Diana Escalona-Vargas & Elijah H. Bolin

  3. Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Eric R. Siegel

  4. Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, fMEG Center, Tübingen, Germany

    Hubert Preissl

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  1. Luis Mercado
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Correspondence to Hari Eswaran.

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Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

The study was approved by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institutional Review Board (UAMS IRB #06456). All the participants received guidance on the study procedures and provided a written informed consent to participate. The study was carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations (Declaration of Helsinki).

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Highlights

• With high-precision fetal magnetocardiographic recordings, we were able to explore the variation in fHRV parameters as it relates to fetal sex.

• None of fMEG-based fHRV parameters exhibited significantly different rates of change with gestational age between sexes.

• The results of the study provide a framework for understanding normal development of the fetal autonomic nervous system, especially in the context of fetal sex.

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Mercado, L., Escalona-Vargas, D., Siegel, E.R. et al. Exploring the Influence of Fetal Sex on Heart Rate Dynamics Using Fetal Magnetocardiographic Recordings. Reprod. Sci. 31, 823–831 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01384-9

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