Limited research has been conducted on the influence of sex on epigenetic modifications following developmental alcohol exposure. One study found that the male, but not female, germline transmits methylation changes to the Pomc gene resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (Govorko et al., 2012). Another study using an animal model of alcohol exposure found female specific effects, as female but not male subjects exhibited alterations in methyl metabolism in the hippocampus (Ngai et al., 2015). Current literature supports continued investigation of sex as an important mediator of teratogen-induced epigenetic modifications and long-term health outcomes.
