Gender-related differences in neonatal age

Men and women are significantly different in their body system, and this difference has been studied in various fields of medicine. Medical research has identified a substantial group of gender-specific adult diseases, but biological differences between sexes are evident even from the beginning of pregnancy. The evaluation of gender specificities has been also extended to newborns, infants, children and adolescents. Gender-specific medicine deals with the differences between men and women both in health and diseases. Male and female fetuses react differently to the same intrauterine environment, suggesting biological variation at cellular and molecular level. Male sex is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. There are significant sex-related differences in relation to different outcomes in preterm newborns and in the neonatal age, as well as in the incidence of congenital malformations, response to drugs during infancy, neurological and respiratory diseases. The functional and structural development of the lungs occurs earlier in females, especially in preterm newborns. In this narrative review, we describe how the sex of the fetus and the newborn can affect morbidity and mortality, both during pregnancy and after birth. Gender-related medicine can be applied to the neonatal age to evaluate disease-related sex differences. This could possibly allow for the application of preventive strategies and/or specific treatments, with a great impact on public health.