Can't carry boys?

[Lyns]

I admit to a certain level of naivety, with being relatively 'only just' post second miscarriage, and suddenly starting to discover the host of problems we have, but today I've had two very separate conversations, which have me wondering whether whats been said to me has a grain of possibility or is an TTC myth.

Two totally unconnected people have said 'have I considered the possibility that I am on of those women who can't carry boys?' (I do have a daughter already, but have since lost two babies)

Does anybody here have any knowledge as to whether this is an actual condition and then something that may be a possibility, or is it urban myth. I've done a few searches already but brought up nothing of any substance.....several references, but nothing particularly research based.

I'm perplexed...not particularly convnced, but then should I be taking this thought seriously?

 

[NeyNey]

TBH I'm not even sure I've heard of such a condition?

I guess, if it did happen, it could have something to do with hormones?

Although I'm clueless

 

[sparkle83]

I have heard of women who had this before, one had 3 girls, 3 losses andd eventually had a healthy boy, and the other had 3 early m/c and two boys. My mum had 3 girls, and 2 losses, inc one at 12 weeks which was def a boy.

 

[NickyT75]

I dont think there is anything in it TBH babe its probably just an old wives tale and nothing to worry about xxx

 

[NickyT75]

I found this which suggests there may be a very slight element of truth to this but it is much more likely to be a case of unrelated miscarriages being attributed to this by older 'wiser' females who have no evidence of it being true... perhaps just in a bid to find answers that arent really there & to help people feel like things have been explained when in reality some things just cant be explained IYSWIM? (like great aunt Nelly who knows EVERYTHING and cannot be wrong about anything for instance)

I personally think you have nothing to worry about especially given your first baby was a beautiful little girl and this only seems to apply to women who's 1st born was a boy xx

Reports by Nic Fleming,
Science Correspondent, in Prague

Women who have a son and go on to have multiple miscarriages are substantially less likely to be able to have a second child, according to new research.

Scientists who carried out a study of more than 300 mothers who later suffered repeated miscarriages found that those who had previously had a baby girl were almost three times more likely to be able to give birth again.

They believe that male immune system cells - which can remain in a woman's body for more than 20 years after she gives birth to a son - can trigger a reaction that makes having another baby more difficult.

Approximately one per cent of all women who become pregnant have three or more miscarriages.

About a third of these, or one in about 300 women, suffer from secondary recurrence miscarriage (SRM) - the loss of three or more pregnancies after a successful pregnancy.

Dr Henriette Svarre Nielson and colleagues at the University Hospital of Copenhagen presented findings of the new study at the annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Prague yesterday.

Dr Nielsen said she believed that cells that pass through the placenta from a male foetus to the mother can increase the likelihood of her immune system rejecting later pregnancies.

"We observed that most of the women we were seeing in the clinic with recurring miscarriages who had previously had normal babies had boys.

"It is known that when a woman carries a male baby it can appear as strange to her immune system, and that up to 22 years later you can still find cells from her son's immune system in her body.

"We think that there is an immune response against genes from the male Y chromosome."

Dr Nielsen added that in at-risk women it was likely that the immune reaction triggered by a protein found on the surface of male cells was boosted to the point where it could later increase the chances of the body rejecting female foetuses too.

"It may be that the immune reaction spreads out to affect all children. The immune response gets bigger and bigger and more cells get attacked."

Dr Nielson and colleagues examined the records of 305 women with SRM treated at their unit between 1986 and 2005.

She stressed that most women's bodies were able to cope with male foetuses and that the additional risk of being unable to have a second child only applied to a small proportion of women, possibly with defective immune systems.jonathan isaby

 

[Vici]

I don't know of the conditions name, but a friends of my mums could not have boys. I don't think it wasn't so much she couldn't carry them, but had to be gender tested asap and terminate if LO was a boy. I can't def remember if this was because of health issues with boys, or that she would have miscarried if the pregnancy carried on. I will ask my mum when I see her x

 

[CareBear]

I've heard about this as well but not sure about how they find out or anything. Sorry not very helpful! I'm sorry to hear about your recent miscarriage

 

[toby2]

I found this which suggests there may be a very slight element of truth to this but it is much more likely to be a case of unrelated miscarriages being attributed to this by older 'wiser' females who have no evidence of it being true... perhaps just in a bid to find answers that arent really there & to help people feel like things have been explained when in reality some things just cant be explained IYSWIM? (like great aunt Nelly who knows EVERYTHING and cannot be wrong about anything for instance)

I personally think you have nothing to worry about especially given your first baby was a beautiful little girl and this only seems to apply to women who's 1st born was a boy xx

Reports by Nic Fleming,
Science Correspondent, in Prague

Women who have a son and go on to have multiple miscarriages are substantially less likely to be able to have a second child, according to new research.

Scientists who carried out a study of more than 300 mothers who later suffered repeated miscarriages found that those who had previously had a baby girl were almost three times more likely to be able to give birth again.

They believe that male immune system cells - which can remain in a woman's body for more than 20 years after she gives birth to a son - can trigger a reaction that makes having another baby more difficult.

Approximately one per cent of all women who become pregnant have three or more miscarriages.

About a third of these, or one in about 300 women, suffer from secondary recurrence miscarriage (SRM) - the loss of three or more pregnancies after a successful pregnancy.

Dr Henriette Svarre Nielson and colleagues at the University Hospital of Copenhagen presented findings of the new study at the annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Prague yesterday.

Dr Nielsen said she believed that cells that pass through the placenta from a male foetus to the mother can increase the likelihood of her immune system rejecting later pregnancies.

"We observed that most of the women we were seeing in the clinic with recurring miscarriages who had previously had normal babies had boys.

"It is known that when a woman carries a male baby it can appear as strange to her immune system, and that up to 22 years later you can still find cells from her son's immune system in her body.

"We think that there is an immune response against genes from the male Y chromosome."

Dr Nielsen added that in at-risk women it was likely that the immune reaction triggered by a protein found on the surface of male cells was boosted to the point where it could later increase the chances of the body rejecting female foetuses too.

"It may be that the immune reaction spreads out to affect all children. The immune response gets bigger and bigger and more cells get attacked."

Dr Nielson and colleagues examined the records of 305 women with SRM treated at their unit between 1986 and 2005.

She stressed that most women's bodies were able to cope with male foetuses and that the additional risk of being unable to have a second child only applied to a small proportion of women, possibly with defective immune systems.jonathan isaby

 

[Lyns]

Aww, Toby hun.....please dont let this upset you. The more research I've done today, the more I'm really believing that its either really rare or an old wives tale.

I'm so sorry I asked the question now... It was just because it had been said to me as I've had two mc so recently, I didn't want to upset or worry anyone else.

 

[sparkle83]

In each of the times I mentioned, the women always went on to have at least one succesful pregnancy after miscarriage.

 

[x_Rainbow_x]

Its not a condition, its a genetical problem if you cant carry a certain sex. Its not so much rare but its something you wouldnt no about enless youd had alot of m/cs and had extencive genetical testing.
That was my first question when id had my m/cs. and got told highly unlikely enless it runs in the family

 

[Vici]

Its not a condition, its a genetical problem if you cant carry a certain sex. Its not so much rare but its something you wouldnt no about enless youd had alot of m/cs and had extencive genetical testing.
That was my first question when id had my m/cs. and got told highly unlikely enless it runs in the family

This is def true, because my mums friends daughter has 2 girls and had the same thing. Thankfully, both her pregnancies were girls so she was OK. It is deffo genetic

 

[chocci]

Some people say your shouldnt drink alcohol as its bad for you, then next day papers say a glass of wine a day is god for you. We get told not to eat carrots or celery or mushrooms one day then next day they are essentail to our health. i know this sounds like very strange points but what i mean is there is research going into everything and everything you do in life causes problems with your health so whatever scientists study they will find a problem which will affect at least a small percentage of people.......for instance did you know breathing is actually killing you........breathing oxygen is what makes you age and ultimately results in your death.....would you give up breathing? Breathing kills us eventually BUt it keeps us alive for the vast majority of time. Carrying boys causes some women problems??? Perhaps but only very few women would have problems with this and its probably 0.01 % of us ;-)