Fetal exposure to prescription drugs and adult sexual orientation

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine if prenatal exposure to therapeutic drugs contributes to variations in sexual orientation. Especially suspect were drugs that could affect the delicate balance of sex hormone levels that appear to guide the sexual differentiation of the fetal brain. The recollections of 5102 mothers concerning their use of therapeutic drugs during pregnancy were linked to reports of the sexual orientation of their offspring (as provided by either the offspring themselves or by their mothers). About 14% of the mothers recalled having taken at least one of 19 prescription drugs (or classes of drugs) during their pregnancy. Regarding male offspring, little evidence was found that prenatal exposure to any of these medications was associated with variations in sexual orientation. However, even after controlling for age, education, and self-rated recall ability of the mothers, exposure to two types of drugs was significantly related to sexual orientation among female offspring. One type consisted of amphetamine-based diet pills and the other was comprised of synthetic thyroid medications. A month-by-month analysis revealed that during the first trimester consumption of all prescription drugs was unusually high for mothers of female homosexual offspring. Prescription medications that affect the mother’s and/or the female fetuses’ developing immune system may alter the feminization/demasculinization of the brain in ways that cause variations in the offspring’s adult sexual orientation.