Anogenital distance in newborns

Abstract

We read with interest the article by Mira-Escolano et al. (2014), who reviewed the relationship between a newborn’s anogenital distance (AGD) and the mother’s gynecological characteristics before and during pregnancy. Mira-Escolano et al. (2014) found that a longer AGD-AF (from the posterior fourchette to the center of the anus) in daughters was significantly associated with menstrual cycle irregularity in their mothers before pregnancy. It was assumed that menstrual irregularity is correlated with higher concentrations of androgens in women. The article focused on the relationship between the AGD in daughters and their mothers’ menstrual cycles. We have also obtained data on the AGD as a potential anthropometric measurement in newborns (Kim et al., 2014). We found that the male AGD is correlated with height, weight, and head circumference, while the female AGD is correlated with weight. The newborns in our data pool had no other genital organ anomalies. We also calculated the adjusted AGD (i.e., divided by body weight). The adjusted AGD in newborns was significantly associated with the duration of gestation. These findings indicate that AGD is a good anthropometric method in full-term infants. Mira-Escolano et al. (2014) also calculated the AGD-AF and AGD-AC (from the anterior clitoral surface to the center of the anus). We are interested to know whether Mira-Escolano et al. (2014) plan to evaluate the associations among the AGD, AGD-AF, AGD-AC and the weight, height, or body mass index and whether such findings will be similar to our data.