Sex differences in postnatal weight gain trajectories of extremely preterm newborns

Objective Both postnatal growth and sex play a crucial role in long-term outcomes of extremely preterm newborns (EPNs), but the relationship between sex and postnatal growth is not clear. This study aims to assess sex differences in weight trajectories. Study design Weight data in the first 200 days of life from 4327 EPNs were used for generalized additive mixed modeling. We considered gestational age and sex as fixed-effects, and included random intercepts and random slopes for postnatal age. We assessed interactions between fixed-effects and postnatal age. Results Male EPNs had higher predicted weight trajectories than females. Weight z-score trajectories decreased in both sexes before term-equivalent age comparably, but females showed faster increases afterward. Although weight gain velocity was comparable between both sexes, weight gain velocity in male EPNs was lower compared to the corresponding reference values from the 2013 Fenton growth charts, which explained slower z-score rises. Conclusion Sex disparity exists in postnatal weight gain trajectories of EPNs after reaching the term-equivalent age.

Automated summary

The study found that male extremely preterm newborns had higher predicted weight trajectories than females, with faster growth rates in females after reaching term-equivalent age. Despite similar weight gain velocities between the sexes, weight gain velocity in male EPNs was lower compared to reference values, leading to slower z-score rises.