| Summary: | WH JamesDepartment of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UKCzeizel et al1 reported a significant male excess among infants born to women with severe chronic constipation as contrasted with controls. Czeizel and colleagues were unable to account for this phenomenon, so I wish to suggest an explanation. Women (as contrasted with men) are disproportionately often affected by constipation, which is frequently aggravated by pregnancy and ameliorated after delivery,2 so it is reasonable to wonder whether constipation has hormonal causes. Large quantities of data have been adduced to support the hypothesis that the sex ratios (proportions male) of mammalian (including human) offspring are partially controlled by the hormone levels of both parents around the time of conception.3–5
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