Gestational age-specific sex difference in neurological outcomes of very low birth weight preterm infants—a nationwide study

weeks. The primary outcomes were the BSID-III composite scores and neurodevelopmental delay defined as BSID-III composite scores lower than 80. Male sex was an independent risk factor for neurodevelopmental delay, particularly in infants born over 26 weeks of gestation. Among VLBW preterm infants born over 26 weeks of gestation, male infants of the younger GA group were associated with a higher risk of cognitive and motor delay, whereas those of the older GA group had a higher risk of language delay. The extremely low GA group (below 25 weeks of gestation) did not exhibit sex differences in neurodevelopmental outcomes.