fetal sex and maternal stature vs. spontaneous vaginal birth: considering sex specific state-of-the-art anthropometric investigations at term pregnancy

Background & objective: we considered maternal and birth anthropometric features and fetal sex in developing a labor protocol. materials & methods: a prospective study of 400 mothers, having healthy pregnancies and their newborn singletons in gynecology ward of alex ekwueme federal university teaching hospital, abakaliki. the study adopted a convenient sampling technique to select the volunteers from 1st july to december 2020. birth and maternal anthropometries; bmi, height, weight, birth head girth (bhg), waist girth (wg), hip girth (hg) and delivery outcomes: birth mode and duration of 1st and 2nd phases of labor, and apgar score at 1 minute of birth were measured, using institute of medicine guidelines. results: maternal age, weight, and hg, and wg at term pregnancy and fetal sex could determine birth mode and weight (p<0.05). the associations for duration of 1st phase of labor and maternal and birth anthropometries were inconsistent. fetal sex, birth mode and features and maternal anthropometries; body fat, age, bmi and hg were associated with duration of 2nd phase of labor and apgar score. conclusion: maternal anthropometries predispose birth features, and advance age of mothers, relatively large whr and fetal macrosomia at term pregnancy could increase duration of 2nd phase of labor and risk of a male birth, developing abnormal apgar score. the strong association between anthropometric variables of a mother and her baby suggests that anthropometric investigations could enhance the choice of birth mode and minimize vaginal birth complications. the study emphasized on the need of a sex specific state-of-the art anthropometric investigations at term pregnancy.