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There is some evidence, for example, that a shortage of food in the
womb may shorten lifespan, which could explain the difference in
longevity between the rich and the poor. There’s work too that
suggests that loss of bone density later in life is greater in those
people who did not grow well in the womb.
The research suggests that a change in diet, a switch in lifestyle, a
change in hormone levels or a brief infection in the first nine months
of life can have an impact on health decades later. It opens up the
possibility of being able to manipulate the womb environment to
improve health years later. Some research, for example, suggests that
the risk of schizophrenia could be reduced by giving mums supplements
of fatty acids, which have an effect on brain cells.


The research will also help to identify people at risk of disease.
“To me the good news is that it is not just genetic,” says
Professor Hanson. “We may be able to pick up markers in early
life which will tell us how genes involved in disease will be turned
on or off later in life. There is therefore the potential to spot the
child who will, for example, have to watch his diet. We are at the
forefront of a new medical initiative here. It is all very
exciting.”
Some events determined in the womb may not be as suitable for
manipulation. Hormone research suggests that soccer ability,
aggression, and maths skills may be influenced by what happens in the
first nine months of life. Among the latest of these discoveries is a
finding based on a study of German men, which found that those exposed
to higher levels of testosterone before birth were more likely to have
a greater number of sexual partners. Men with the most masculine
ration had twice as many partners in the previous year Whether or not
men would wish to change that, is unclear. But at least they now have
someone to blame for their sexual appetite — mum.
Have a better baby
Pregnancy guru Zita West gives advice on maximising your baby’s
potential in utero in a new book out next month: Babycare Before Birth
(Dorling Kindersley, £12.99). Here are some tips:

Healthy sperm and eggs are vital for conception. Don’t put your
life on hold if you are trying for a baby but be sure your diet is
rich in antioxidants from fruit and veg. Your baby depends on your
nutritional reserves, not just what you eat that day, so make sure
your diet is well balanced.

The first 12 weeks are some of the most important. An obsession with
staying slim and cutting down carbs despite craving them is unwise:
eat plenty of whole grains, plus protein from meat, chicken, fish,
dairy and pulses; your baby needs them, too.
Alcohol: give it up. If you have a glass of wine, so does your baby.
That may not be very good for it. Neither will cigarettes.
Keep stress under control. High levels of the stress hormones such as
cortisol affect the embryo and can carry over into later life.


How the womb environment can affect you

Heart disease Pioneering research in Hertfordshire showed that low
birthweight was associated with the so-called insulin-resistance
syndrome, which can lead to heart disease. The research, based on
15,726 men and women born in Hertfordshire between 1911 and 1930,
showed that death rates from heart disease fell as birth weight
increased from below 5.5lb to 9.5lb (2.5kg to 4.3kg).





Testicular cancer Research at Rikshospitalet, in Oslo, shows a link
between maternal weight and testicular cancer. The incidence of
testicular cancer in the West has been increasing since the Fifties
for unknown reasons but increased foetal exposure to oestrogen during
the first trimester has been suggested as a risk factor, with heavier
mothers supplying the foetus with higher levels of oestrogen.


Depression American researchers have found a link between depression
and prenatal exposure to influenza. The researchers from Loyola
Marymount University, Los Angeles, who have already noticed an
increase in schizophrenia in those exposed during the second trimester
to the 1957 influenza epidemic, have found a similar link between
depression and flu. They found that those exposed to the flu virus
were six times more likely to have a hospital diagnosis of depression
than a control group.



Cholesterol Research shows that babies that have a short body
relative to head size, but are within the normal weight range, have
cholesterol metabolism problems. Researchers at the University of
Southampton say that the disproportion in body length relative to head
size is thought to result from under-nutrition in late gestation.
“The foetus diverts oxygenated blood away from the trunk to
sustain the brain. One of the organs whose growth is prejudiced by
this is the liver, one of whose functions, the regulation of
cholesterol, seem to be perturbed,” they say.



Longevity Being conceived and born in the right months can add months
to your life, according to a study at the Max Planck Institute for
Demographic Research in Germany. They found that people born in autumn
live longer than those born in the spring. One theory is that babies
born in autumn are bigger, possibly because of better seasonal
nutrition during the critical development times.
Pointing the finger at the pre-natal hormone mix The hormonal mix
that the foetus receives has an impact on the development of organs
but also other traits. Researchers in this area have been using
finger-length ratios as markers of the hormonal exposure.
The theory here is that the finger ratio is a record of what went on
in the womb — like the growth rings in a tree. In both sexes, a
relatively long ring finger (third from the thumb) is a sign of
exposure to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone, while a
relatively long index finger (next to the thumb) is a marker of oestrogen.
Hormone levels in the womb can vary on a day-to-day basis. “The
digit ratio is a living fossil. It is a record of what the foetus was
exposed to at a critical time for the development of many
things,” says Professor John Manning, an evolutionary
psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire. “Digit
ratio is the length of the index finger divided by the length of the
ring finger. If they are equal in length the ratio is one. If the ring
finger is longer the ratio is less than one. Men in general have a
longer ring finger relative to their index finger. Low ratios indicate
high testosterone before birth.”
Armed with that ratio as a marker, several hundred papers have now
found links between hormone exposure and disease and traits.
It’s been suggested that more testosterone might lead to a more
masculine brain, that is more adept at maths and navigation, more
prone to aggression and heart disease but lacking in social skills and
agreeableness. High levels of oestrogen exposure may increase
fertility in a woman but also heighten the risk of breast cancer. In a
boy, it could give enhanced social skills.
Some research suggests that developmental disorders and childhood
behaviours that are more common in males than females — for
example, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, hyperactivity and poor
social cognition — may be related to prenatal testosterone.