Abstract

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Does anogenital distance (AGD) – distance from the anus to the genitals—correlate from infancy (3 months) to the age of 9 years in boys and girls? SUMMARY ANSWER In boys, AGD correlated from infancy to 9 years of age, whereas in girls, correlations were weaker, especially between infancy and later childhood. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY AGD is considered a marker for prenatal androgen action. In males, reduced AGD is associated with testicular cancer, infertility and lower sperm count. In females, AGD is associated with endometriosis and PCOS. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION In the Odense Child Cohort, a prospective population-based birth cohort, pregnant women were enrolled in early pregnancy. AGD and BMI were measured repeatedly in the children at ages 3 and 18 months, as well as at 3, 5, 7, and 9 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS AGD was measured from the anus to the scrotum (AGDas) and to the penis (AGDap) in 1,022 boys, and to the posterior fourchette (AGDaf) and the clitoris (AGDac) in 887 girls repeatedly between the age of 3 months to 9 years. In total 7,706 assessments were made. AGD was adjusted for body weight and SD scores (the difference between individual AGD and the mean of AGD in the population divided by standard deviation (SD) of AGD) were calculated for each child. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of each measurement was performed to investigate whether individual AGD was stable during childhood. Short predictive values at 3 months (20th percentile) to 9 years were investigated using the AUC produced by the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In boys, AGD/body size-index SD score correlated significantly between infancy and 9 years, strongest for AGDas (r = 0.540 p > 0.001). In girls, weaker significant correlation coefficients were found between AGD at infancy and 9 years; higher correlation coefficients were found between AGD from 3 to 9 years (p > 0.001). Short AGDas in infancy predicted short AGDas in boys aged 9 years (AUC: 0.767, sensitivity 0.71, specificity 0.71). The predictive values of short infant AGDap, penile width (in boys), and AGD (girls) concerning short outcomes at 9 years were low. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The AGD measurements are less precisely measurable in girls compared to boys, especially in infancy, resulting in less reproducible measurements. Additionally, because AGD is shorter in girls, the same absolute measurement error is relatively more significant, potentially contributing to greater variability and lower reproducibility in girls. This may contribute to the weaker correlations in girls compared to boys. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS In boys, AGDas relative to body size correlated from infancy to 9 years, suggesting that AGD in infancy can be considered a non-invasive marker of later reproductive health. Further follow up studies are needed to evaluate long-term individual tracking of AGD as well as assessment of childhood AGD as early marker of adult reproductive health. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS This study was supported by Odense University Hospital, Denmark, the Region of Southern Denmark, The Municipality of Odense, Denmark, The University of Southern Denmark, Odense Patient data Exploratory Network (OPEN), Denmark, The Danish Research Council (4004-00352B_FSS), Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark (grant no. NNF19OC0058266 and NNF17OC0029404), Sygeforsikring Danmark (journalnr. 2021-0173), The Collaborative foundation between Odense University Hospital and Rigshospitalet, Helsefonden. There is no conflict of interest of any author that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A