Preterm male infants need more initial respiratory support than female infants.

Female infants have a significantly greater chance of surviving than male infants at similar birth-weights and gestational ages, and have an advantage over males for a better outcome with less morbidity. Conclusion: The exact mechanisms responsible for the gender differences, with a better chance of survival of female infants, remain to be determined. The paper by Elsmen et al. provides an important contribution to this most important area of clinical research.