In pregnancies complicated by asthma, the female placenta expresses high levels of mRNAs encoding pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including TNFα, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐5 and IL‐8, whereas there is no significant change in the male placenta compared to corresponding controls (Scott et al. Here, CXCL8 is linked to asthma.