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Fetal anogenital distance using ultrasound.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Holt, Rosemary 
Chaplin, Daren 
Hawkes, Rebecca 
Allison, Carrie 

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study measured anogenital distance (AGD) during late second/early third trimester of pregnancy to confirm previous findings that AGD can be measured noninvasively in the fetus using ultrasound and further showed differences in reference ranges between populations. METHOD: Two hundred ten singleton pregnancies were recruited at the Rosie Hospital, Cambridge, UK. A 2D ultrasound was performed between 26 and 30 weeks of pregnancy. AGD was measured from the centre of the anus to the base of the scrotum in males and to the posterior convergence of the fourchette in females. RESULTS: A significant difference in AGD between males and females (P < .0001) was found, replicating previous results with a significant correlation between estimated fetal weight (EFW) and AGD in males only (P = .006). A comparison of AGD using reference data from an Israeli sample (n = 118) and our UK sample (n = 208) showed a significant difference (P < .0001) in both males and females, after controlling for gestational age (GA). CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that AGD measurement in utero using ultrasound is feasible. In addition, there are strong sex differences, consistent with previous suggestions that AGD is influenced by prenatal androgen exposure. AGD lengths differ between the UK and Israel; therefore, population-specific normative values may be required for accurate clinical assessments.

Description

Keywords

Adult, Anal Canal, Body Weights and Measures, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation, Fetus, Genitalia, Gestational Age, Humans, Israel, Male, Penis, Perineum, Pregnancy, Scrotum, Sex Characteristics, Sex Determination Analysis, Ultrasonography, Prenatal

Journal Title

Prenat Diagn

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0197-3851
1097-0223

Volume Title

39

Publisher

Wiley

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Medical Research Council (MRC) Wellcome Trust Autism Research Trust (ART) National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Templeton World Charitable Foundation.