The offspring sex ratio of surgeons in a Taiwan Medical Centre

Abstract

To determine whether environmental and stress-related factors encountered in the operating room (OR) are related to the change of offspring sex ratio (OSR) for the first-born children of surgeons. In a hospital-based study, we analyzed the OSR of first-born children of male physicians who worked in and out of the operating room, as well as their exposure to environmental hazards. OSRs were calculated against the three stages of hospital development to examine the effects of occupational stress. OSRs for the first-born children of physicians operating and not operating in the OR were not statistically different. When physicians were divided into three age-based generations based on the hospital developmental stages, the OSRs were 73, 100, and 149, respectively. There was a significant increasing trend ( P=0.038). The oldest physicians were more likely to have fathered first-born daughters than sons. Age alone cannot explain this association, because they all became fathers at the same age. Environmental factors may significantly skew the OSR of physicians. Our results emphasize the importance of establishing a safer and less stressful working environment for all physicians.