Maternal steroid levels and the autistic traits of the mother and infant.
A Tsompanidis, E Aydin, E Padaigaitė and 6 others
PMID 34238355WHAT IT FOUND
Higher maternal estradiol during pregnancy linked to more autistic traits in sons, but not daughters.
Conversely, higher placental marker hCG linked to fewer traits in daughters, but not sons. These are correlational findings from a small cohort, not evidence that hormones cause autism.
Key findings
01Maternal estradiol levels were positively associated with infant autistic traits in males but not females.
02Standardised hCG values were associated with infant autistic traits, with a positive relationship in females but not males.
03Women with a history of excess body hair growth in more than one area had significantly higher autistic trait scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was relatively small, particularly for the subgroup analyses of hormone levels. Autistic traits were measured using questionnaires (AQ and Q-CHAT) completed by the mothers themselves, which introduces potential reporting bias. The study was observational and correlational; it cannot prove that hormone levels cause autistic traits. Participants were recruited voluntarily, which may introduce selection bias. The analysis did not correct for multiple testing, increasing the risk of false-positive findings.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Autism Research Trust and Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these associations as evidence that prenatal hormone levels cause autism or that they can be used to predict a child's diagnosis. The findings are correlational, based on small subgroups, and the p-values were not corrected for multiple testing.