The birth weight of boys is about 100 g heavier than the birth weight of girls, and this seems to be consistent across populations. Researchers have attempted to solve the puzzle as to why baby boys are so much bigger at birth than baby girls and their mothers eat more during pregnancy.
![Male fetuses more demanding Male fetuses more demanding](https://drop.ndtv.com/images/story-noimage.png?q=50)
Women carrying boys eat more because they have a higher energy requirement, which could be due to testosterone secreted by the fetal testicles. Although they produce bigger babies, mothers of boys do not put on more weight than other women during pregnancy because the gender of the baby had no effect on mother's weight. The study found that the energy intake of pregnant women is about 10% higher when they are carrying a boy rather than a girl. The findings support the fact that women carrying male fetuses have higher energy requirements and that male fetuses may be more susceptible to energy restriction. The chances of having a boy rather than a girl is higher by about 35% when mother's food intake is higher.
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