Fewer male births in U.S. and Japan

Posted : Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:56:00 GMT
By : Health News Editor
Category : Health
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PITTSBURGH, April 10 During the past 30 years, the number of male births has decreased each year in the United States and Japan, but researchers are not exactly sure why.

A study in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives reports an overall decline of 17 males per 10,000 births in the United States and a decline of 37 males per 10,000 births in Japan since 1970.

University of Pittsburgh researchers said the pattern of decline in the ratio of male to female births is a mystery.

"We know men who work with some solvents, metals and pesticides father fewer baby boys," lead investigator Devra Lee Davis, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute ' s Center for Environmental Oncology, said in a statement. "We also know that nutritional factors, physical health and chemical exposures of pregnant women affect their ability to have children and the health of their offspring. We suspect that some combination of these factors, along with older age of parents, may account for decreasing male births."

Copyright 2007 by UPI

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polygyny
By: Anders Chydenius , Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:09:40 GMT

So, when is the Pro-Polygyny rally scheduled?


Yup
By: Sheherazad , Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:04:05 GMT

Well I guess the U.S and Japan should start printing out more money to deal with this new wave of women. Should probably open several new malls in every city there too.


Comparitive numbers
By: Ming P , Wed, 11 Apr 2007 04:21:35 GMT

There's nothing mentioned here as to how this falling rate correlates to the over-all falling birth rates in both countries. I think that is an important missing factor.


Fewer male births
By: James , Wed, 11 Apr 2007 03:30:53 GMT

Apparently this has nothing to do with my family...we have four children, and they are ALL boys. ;)



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