ArticlePopulation studies2021
Foetal loss and feminine sex ratios at birth in sub-Saharan Africa.
Article in Population studies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Did Premodern Wars Impact Sex Ratios at Birth? The Case of 19th-Century Basque Country.Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Trend Analysis of the Sex Ratio at Birth in Greece.Cureus · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
A wealth of demographic research has explored the determinants of sex ratios at birth, but few studies have considered the role of foetal loss (spontaneous abortion), in producing feminine sex ratios. One challenge is measuring the occurrence of foetal loss, which is difficult to recognize and report in survey research. This study uses the length of the birth interval as a proxy for foetal loss; foetal loss restarts the clock on time to conception and lengthens the birth interval. We use Demographic and Health Survey data on second births to women in 17 sub-Saharan African countries. Results show that longer second birth intervals are significantly related to lower odds of a male second birth and to feminine sex ratios at birth. These findings suggest that high levels of foetal loss, which could signal underlying poor maternal health in a population, have dramatic effects on the sex ratio at birth.
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Registered trials
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