There are sex-dependent differences in hematological and biochemical variables in adulthood attributed to the predominant effects of testosterone in males and estrogen in females. The Twin Testosterone Transfer (TTT) hypothesis proposes that opposite-sex females may develop male-typical traits due to exposure to relatively higher levels of prenatal testosterone than same-sex females. Additionally, prenatal testosterone exposure has been suggested as a correlate of current circulating testosterone levels. Consequently, opposite-sex females might exhibit male-typical patterns in their hematological and biochemical variables. Despite this hypothesis, routine laboratory investigations assign the same reference range to all females. Our cross-sectional study, conducted in Tamale from January to September 2022, included 40 twins, comprising 10 opposite-sex (OS) males (25%), 10 OS females (25%), and 20 same-sex (SS) females (50%), all aged between 18 and 27 years. Fasting venous blood samples were collected and analyzed using automated hematology and biochemistry laboratory analyzers. Results indicated that levels of hemoglobin, serum creatinine, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total protein, globulins, and total testosterone were significantly higher in OS males than OS females. Conversely, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly higher in OS females than OS males. Unexpectedly, levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total testosterone were significantly higher in SS females than OS females. Contrary to expectations, opposite-sex females did not exhibit male-typical patterns in their hematological and biochemical variables. This suggests that the TTT effect may not occur or may not be strong enough to markedly affect hematological and biochemical variables in OS females.

中文翻译：

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探索同性和异性女性的血液学和生化差异：加纳人群的横断面双胞胎研究

成年后的血液学和生化变量存在性别依赖性差异，这归因于男性睾酮和女性雌激素的主要影响。双生睾酮转移（TTT）假说提出，异性女性可能会因为比同性女性接触到相对较高水平的产前睾酮而形成男性典型特征。此外，产前睾酮暴露被认为与当前循环睾酮水平相关。因此，异性女性的血液学和生化变量可能表现出男性典型模式。尽管有这样的假设，常规实验室调查仍为所有女性分配相同的参考范围。我们的横断面研究于 2022 年 1 月至 9 月在塔马利进行，研究对象包括 40 名双胞胎，其中 10 名异性 (OS) 男性 (25%)、10 名 OS 女性 (25%) 和 20 名同性 (SS) 女性(50%)，年龄均在 18 至 27 岁之间。收集空腹静脉血样本并使用自动血液学和生物化学实验室分析仪进行分析。结果表明，OS 男性的血红蛋白、血清肌酐、γ-谷氨酰转移酶、总蛋白、球蛋白和总睾酮水平显着高于 OS 女性。相反，OS 女性的总胆固醇和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇显着高于 OS 男性。出乎意料的是，SS 女性的低密度脂蛋白胆固醇和总睾酮水平显着高于 OS 女性。与预期相反，异性女性的血液学和生化变量并未表现出男性典型模式。这表明 TTT 效应可能不会发生或可能不足以显着影响 OS 女性的血液学和生化变量。