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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Daniel Nettle, Dr David Coady
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There is growing evidence that the reproductive schedules of female mammals can be affected byconditions experienced during early development, with low parental investment leading to acceleratedlife-history strategies in the offspring. In humans, the relationships between early-life conditions andtiming of puberty are well studied, but much less attention has been paid to reproductive behaviour.Here, we investigate associations between early-life conditions and age at first pregnancy (AFP) in alarge, longitudinally studied cohort of British women (n=4553). Low birthweight for gestational age,short duration of breastfeeding, separation from mother in childhood, frequent family residentialmoves and lack of paternal involvement are all independently associated with earlier first pregnancy.Apart from that of birthweight, the effects are robust to adjustment for family socioeconomic position(SEP) and the cohort member’s mother’s age at her birth. The association between childhood SEPand AFP is partially mediated by early-life conditions, and the association between early-life conditionsand AFP is partially mediated by emotional and behavioural problems in childhood. The overall relationshipbetween early-life adversities and AFP appears to be approximately additive.
Author(s): Nettle D, Coall DA, Dickins TE
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences
Year: 2011
Volume: 278
Issue: 1712
Pages: 1721-1727
Print publication date: 10/11/2010
ISSN (print): 0962-8452
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2954
Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1726
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1726
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