Klimek Magdalena, Galbarczyk Andrzej, Colleran Heidi, Thune Inger, Ellison Peter T, Ziomkiewicz Anna, Jasienska Grazyna
Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France.
Am J Hum Biol. 2015 Sep-Oct;27(5):667-73. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22717. Epub 2015 Mar 31.
Second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is proposed as a proxy for the prenatal balance of sex hormones, is related to hormone-dependent characteristics in adult life, and is a possible predictor of disease later in life. Here, we studied the relationship between 2D:4D and ovarian steroid hormones (17β-estradiol and progesterone) among women of reproductive age.
From 186 healthy premenopausal women, aged 24-37 years, we collected saliva samples daily during the entire menstrual cycle. Data on reproductive and lifestyle characteristics were collected via questionnaires, and anthropometric measurements were performed.
No statistically significant relationships were detected between adult women's sex hormone concentrations (17β-estradiol and progesterone) during the menstrual cycle and 2D:4D, in either left or right hand, when controlling for size at birth, body mass index, and physical activity.
This study shows, for the first time in a large sample of women of reproductive age, that 2D:4D is not a predictor of adult women's sex hormone concentration. The lack of relationship may be because 2D:4D might be genetically determined and is not related to maternal nutritional environment during fetal development. These results support the hypothesis that, in contrast to the nutritional quality of the fetal environment, the fetal hormonal environment (reflected by 2D:4D) does not determine reproductive physiology in later life.
食指与无名指长度比（2D:4D）被认为是产前性激素平衡的一个指标，与成年后的激素依赖性特征有关，并且可能是晚年疾病的一个预测指标。在此，我们研究了育龄女性中2D:4D与卵巢甾体激素（17β-雌二醇和孕酮）之间的关系。
从186名年龄在24至37岁的健康绝经前女性中，我们在整个月经周期每天收集唾液样本。通过问卷调查收集生殖和生活方式特征的数据，并进行人体测量。
在控制出生时体重、体重指数和身体活动的情况下，成年女性月经周期中的性激素浓度（17β-雌二醇和孕酮）与左手或右手的2D:4D之间均未检测到具有统计学意义的关系。
本研究首次在大量育龄女性样本中表明，2D:4D不是成年女性性激素浓度的预测指标。缺乏相关性可能是因为2D:4D可能由基因决定，与胎儿发育期间母亲的营养环境无关。这些结果支持了以下假设，即与胎儿环境的营养质量不同，胎儿激素环境（由2D:4D反映）并不能决定晚年的生殖生理。
