Women who suffer extreme morning sickness while pregnant may be less likely to give birth to sons, according to research.
The condition hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) hit the headlines when Kate Middleton succumbed to it early in both pregnancies with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, but it affects as many as one in 100 mums-to-be per year.
Characterised by persistent severe vomiting (sometimes up to 50 times per day) it can lead to weight loss and dehydration and usually required a stay in hospital.
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major study involving data from 1.65 million pregnancies in Sweden has shown that 56 per cent of the women who suffered from the condition gave birth to girls.
HG in the first two months of pregnancy is associated with a seven per cent increase in live girl births. HG affected pregnancies also have a 34-percent average rate of inferred pregnancy loss, higher among less educated women.
Interestingly, researchers found education was also a factor: women who left school at age 16 were 76 per cent more likely to develop the condition than women who went to university.
