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()How the womb environment can affect you

Heart disease Pioneering research in Hertfordshire showed that low birthweight was associated with the so-called insulin-resistance syndrome, which can lead to heart disease. The research, based on 15,726 men and women born in Hertfordshire between 1911 and 1930, showed that death rates from heart disease fell as birth weight increased from below 5.5lb to 9.5lb (2.5kg to 4.3kg).

Testicular cancer Research at Rikshospitalet, in Oslo, shows a link between maternal weight and testicular cancer. The incidence of testicular cancer in the West has been increasing since the Fifties for unknown reasons but increased foetal exposure to oestrogen during the first trimester has been suggested as a risk factor, with heavier mothers supplying the foetus with higher levels of oestrogen.

Depression American researchers have found a link between depression and prenatal exposure to influenza. The researchers from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, who have already noticed an increase in schizophrenia in those exposed during the second trimester to the 1957 influenza epidemic, have found a similar link between depression and flu. They found that those exposed to the flu virus were six times more likely to have a hospital diagnosis of depression than a control group.

Cholesterol Research shows that babies that have a short body relative to head size, but are within the normal weight range, have cholesterol metabolism problems. Researchers at the University of Southampton say that the disproportion in body length relative to head size is thought to result from under-nutrition in late gestation. “The foetus diverts oxygenated blood away from the trunk to sustain the brain. One of the organs whose growth is prejudiced by this is the liver, one of whose functions, the regulation of cholesterol, seem to be perturbed,” they say.

Longevity Being conceived and born in the right months can add months to your life, according to a study at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany. They found that people born in autumn live longer than those born in the spring. One theory is that babies born in autumn are bigger, possibly because of better seasonal nutrition during the critical development times.

Pointing the finger at the pre-natal hormone mix The hormonal mix that the foetus receives has an impact on the development of organs but also other traits. Researchers in this area have been using finger-length ratios as markers of the hormonal exposure.

The theory here is that the finger ratio is a record of what went on in the womb — like the growth rings in a tree. In both sexes, a relatively long ring finger (third from the thumb) is a sign of exposure to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone, while a relatively long index finger (next to the thumb) is a marker of oestrogen.

Hormone levels in the womb can vary on a day-to-day basis. “The digit ratio is a living fossil. It is a record of what the foetus was exposed to at a critical time for the development of many things,” says Professor John Manning, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire. “Digit ratio is the length of the index finger divided by the length of the ring finger. If they are equal in length the ratio is one. If the ring finger is longer the ratio is less than one. Men in general have a longer ring finger relative to their index finger. Low ratios indicate high testosterone before birth.”

Armed with that ratio as a marker, several hundred papers have now found links between hormone exposure and disease and traits. It’s been suggested that more testosterone might lead to a more masculine brain, that is more adept at maths and navigation, more prone to aggression and heart disease but lacking in social skills and agreeableness. High levels of oestrogen exposure may increase fertility in a woman but also heighten the risk of breast cancer. In a boy, it could give enhanced social skills.

Some research suggests that developmental disorders and childhood behaviours that are more common in males than females — for example, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, hyperactivity and poor social cognition — may be related to prenatal testosterone.