Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Amniotic Testosterone and Estradiol: An Attempted Replication of Lutchmaya et al. (2004)

Article


Richards, G., Brown, W. V. and Constantinescu, M. 2021. Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Amniotic Testosterone and Estradiol: An Attempted Replication of Lutchmaya et al. (2004). Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. 12 (6), pp. 859-864. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174420001294
AuthorsRichards, G., Brown, W. V. and Constantinescu, M.
Abstract

The ratio of length between the second (index) and fourth (ring) fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is frequently employed as a retrospective marker of prenatal sex hormone exposure. Lutchmaya et al. (2004) reported that the ratio of testosterone (T) to estradiol (E) present in second trimester amniotic fluid was negatively correlated with digit ratios for the right hand (but not the left hand) in a sample of 29 children at 2-year follow-up. This observation is frequently cited as evidence for the measure’s validity but has not been replicated. We therefore present the findings of another study of amniotic T and E that did not find evidence for these effects at 4½-year follow-up. The confidence intervals were large, the direction of correlations observed was generally erratic, and the overall findings therefore question the premise that second trimester sex hormones affect the development of digit length ratios in humans.

JournalJournal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Journal citation12 (6), pp. 859-864
ISSN2040-1744
Year2021
PublisherCambridge University Press for International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Accepted author manuscript
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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174420001294
Publication dates
Online21 Jan 2021
Publication process dates
Accepted25 Nov 2020
Deposited15 Jan 2021
Copyright holder© 2021 The Authors
Additional information

This article has been published in a revised form in Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease http://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174420001294. This version is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND. No commercial re-distribution or re-use allowed. Derivative works cannot be distributed.

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License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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