Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:38:23.223Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Digit ratio (2D:4D) and amniotic testosterone and estradiol: an attempted replication of Lutchmaya et al. (2004)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2021

Gareth Richards Open the ORCID record for Gareth Richards [Opens in a new window] ,
Wendy V. Browne  and
Mihaela Constantinescu
Gareth Richards*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Wendy V. Browne
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Mihaela Constantinescu
Affiliation:
Gender Development Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK School of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Gareth Richards, School of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, 2.27 Ridley Building 1, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Email: gareth.richards@ncl.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The ratio of length between the second (index) and fourth (ring) fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is frequently employed as a retrospective marker of prenatal sex hormone exposure. Lutchmaya et al. (2004) reported that the ratio of testosterone (T) to estradiol (E) present in second-trimester amniotic fluid was negatively correlated with digit ratios for the right hand (but not the left hand) in a sample of 29 children at 2-year follow-up. This observation is frequently cited as evidence for the measure’s validity but has not been replicated. We therefore present the findings of another study of amniotic T and E that did not find evidence for these effects at 4½-year follow-up. The confidence intervals were large, the direction of correlations observed was generally erratic, and the overall findings question the premise that second-trimester sex hormones affect the development of digit length ratios in humans.

Keywords

2D:4Ddigit ratioestradiolprenatal sex hormonestestosterone
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 12 , Issue 6 , December 2021 , pp. 859 - 864
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Manning, JT, Scutt, D, Wilson, J, Lewis-Jones, DI. The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length: a predictor of sperm numbers and concentrations of testosterone, luteinizing hormone and oestrogen. Hum Reprod. 1998; 13, 3000–3004. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/13.11.3000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leslie, M. The mismeasure of hands? Science. 2019; 364, 923–926. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.364.6444.923.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richards, G. What is the evidence for a link between digit ratio (2D:4D) and direct measures of prenatal sex hormones? Early Hum Dev. 2017; 113, 71–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2017.08.003 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richards, G, Gomes, MC, Ventura, T. Testosterone measured from amniotic fluid and maternal plasma shows no significant association with directional asymmetry in newborn digit ratio (2D:4D). J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2019; 10, 362–367. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174418000752 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richards, G, Browne, WV, Aydin, E, et al. Digit ratio (2D:4D) and congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH): systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Horm Behav. 2020; 126, 104867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104867.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berenbaum, SA, Bryk, KK, Nowak, N, Quigley, CA, Moffat, S. Fingers as a marker of prenatal androgen exposure. Endocrinology. 2009; 150, 5119–5124. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2009–0774 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Hemmen, J, Cohen-Kettenis, PT, Steensma, TD, Veltman, DJ, Bakker, J. Do sex differences in CEOAEs and 2D:4D ratios reflect androgen exposure? A study in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. Biol Sex Differ. 2017; 8, 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293–017–0132-z CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Medland, SE, Loehlin, JC, Martin, NG. No effects of prenatal hormone transfer on digit ratio in a large sample of same- and opposite-sex dizygotic twins. Pers Individ Differ. 2008; 44, 1225–1234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.11.017 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Anders, SM, Vernon, PA, Wilbur, CJ. Finger-Length ratios show evidence of prenatal hormone-transfer between opposite-sex twins. Horm Behav. 2006; 49, 315–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.08.003 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Voracek, M, Dressler, SG. Digit ratio (2D:4D) in twins: heritability estimates and evidence for a masculinized trait expression in women from opposite-sex pairs. Psychol Rep. 2007; 100, 115–126. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.100.1.115–126 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manning, JT. Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior, and Health, 2002. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ.Google Scholar
Richards, G, Bellin, W, Davies, W. Familial digit ratio (2D:4D) associations in a general population sample from Wales. Early Hum Dev. 2017; 112, 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2017.06.006 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Voracek, M, Dressler, SG. Brief communication: familial resemblance in digit ratio (2D:4D). Am J Phys Anthrop. 2009; 140, 376–380. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21105 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lippa, RA. Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior, and Health. By John T. Manning, 2002. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 173 pp., $27.00 (paper), $65.00 (hardcover). Reviewed by Richard A. Lippa, Ph.D. Arch Sex Behav. 2003; 32, 587–590.Google Scholar
Lutchmaya, S, Baron-Cohen, S, Raggatt, P, Knickmeyer, RC, Manning, JT. 2nd to 4th digit ratios, fetal testosterone and estradiol. Early Hum Dev. 2004; 77, 23–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2003.12.002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ventura, T, Gomes, MC, Pita, A, Neto, MT, Taylor, A. Digit ratio (2D:4D) in newborns: influences of prenatal testosterone and maternal environment. Early Hum Dev. 2013; 89, 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2012.08.009.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergman, K, Glover, V, Sarkar, P, Abbott, DH, O’Connor, TG. In utero cortisol and testosterone exposure and fear reactivity in infancy. Horm Behav. 2010; 57, 306–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.12.012.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Constantinescu, M. Are finger ratios a useful measure of androgenic influences on sexual differentiation? (Unpublished MPhil Thesis). 2009. University of Cambridge.Google Scholar
Manning, JT, Fink, B. Are there any “direct” human studies of digit ratio (2D:4D) and measures of prenatal sex hormones? Early Hum Dev. 2017; 113, 73–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2017.09.003.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malas, MA, Dogan, S, Evcil, EH, Desdicioglu, K. Fetal development of the hand, digits and digit ratio (2D : 4D). Early Hum Dev. 2006; 82, 469–475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2005.12.002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knickmeyer, RC, Woolson, S, Hamer, RM, Konneker, T, Gilmore, JH. 2D:4D ratios in the first 2 years of life: stability and relation to testosterone exposure and sensitivity. Horm Behav. 2011; 60, 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.05.009.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trivers, R, Manning, JT, Jacobson, A. A longitudinal study of digit ratio (2D:4D) and other finger ratios in Jamaican children. Horm Behav. 2006; 49, 150–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.05.023.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodeck, CH, Gill, D, Rosenberg, DA, Collins, WP. Testosterone levels in midtrimester maternal and fetal plasma and amniotic fluid. Prenat Diagn. 1985; 5, 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.1970050303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hickey, M, Doherty, DA, Hart, R, et al. Maternal and umbilical cord androgen concentrations do not predict digit ratio (2D:4D) in girls: a prospective cohort study. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2010; 35, 1235–1244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.02.013.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hollier, LP, Keelan, JA, Jamnadass, ESL, et al. Adult digit ratio (2D:4D) is not related to umbilical cord androgen or estrogen concentrations, their ratios or net bioactivity. Early Hum Dev. 2015; 91, 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2014.12.011.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Voracek, M, Manning, JT, Dressler, SG. Repeatability and interobserver error of digit ratio (2D:4D) measurements made by experts. Am J Hum Biol. 2007; 19, 142–146. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.20581.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ribeiro, E, Neave, N, Morais, RN, Manning, JT. Direct versus indirect measurement of digit ratio (2D:4D): a critical review of the literature and new data. Evol Psychol. 2016; 14, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704916632536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barona, M, Kothari, R, Skuse, D, et al. Social communication and emotion difficulties and second to fourth digit ratio in a large community-based sample. Mol Autism. 2015; 6, 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229–015–0063–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar