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Physical and neurobehavioral determinants of reproductive onset and success.


Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Day, FR 
Helgason, H 
Chasman, DI 
Rose, LM 
Loh, P-R 

Abstract

The ages of puberty, first sexual intercourse and first birth signify the onset of reproductive ability, behavior and success, respectively. In a genome-wide association study of 125,667 UK Biobank participants, we identify 38 loci associated (P < 5 × 10(-8)) with age at first sexual intercourse. These findings were taken forward in 241,910 men and women from Iceland and 20,187 women from the Women's Genome Health Study. Several of the identified loci also exhibit associations (P < 5 × 10(-8)) with other reproductive and behavioral traits, including age at first birth (variants in or near ESR1 and RBM6-SEMA3F), number of children (CADM2 and ESR1), irritable temperament (MSRA) and risk-taking propensity (CADM2). Mendelian randomization analyses infer causal influences of earlier puberty timing on earlier first sexual intercourse, earlier first birth and lower educational attainment. In turn, likely causal consequences of earlier first sexual intercourse include reproductive, educational, psychiatric and cardiometabolic outcomes.

Description

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Behavior, Cell Adhesion Molecules, Coitus, Estrogen Receptor alpha, Female, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Membrane Proteins, Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Puberty, RNA-Binding Proteins, Sexual Behavior, Young Adult

Journal Title

Nature Genetics

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1061-4036
1546-1718

Volume Title

48

Publisher

Springer Nature
Sponsorship
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12015/2)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12015/1)
MRC (MC_PC_13046)
Medical Research Council (MC_U106179472)
This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank Resource. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (Unit Programme numbers MC_UU_12015/1 and MC_UU_12015/2).