Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Proc Biol Sci. 2011 Jun 7;278(1712):1721-7. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1726. Epub 2010 Nov 10.
There is growing evidence that the reproductive schedules of female mammals can be affected by conditions experienced during early development, with low parental investment leading to accelerated life-history strategies in the offspring. In humans, the relationships between early-life conditions and timing 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 a large, longitudinally studied cohort of British women (n = 4553). Low birthweight for gestational age, short duration of breastfeeding, separation from mother in childhood, frequent family residential moves 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 SEP and AFP is partially mediated by early-life conditions, and the association between early-life conditions and AFP is partially mediated by emotional and behavioural problems in childhood. The overall relationship between early-life adversities and AFP appears to be approximately additive.
越来越多的证据表明，雌性哺乳动物的繁殖周期可能会受到早期发育过程中所经历的条件的影响，低亲代投资会导致后代采取加速的生活史策略。在人类中，早期生活条件与青春期时间之间的关系已经得到了很好的研究，但对生殖行为的关注要少得多。在这里，我们在一个大型的、纵向研究的英国女性队列（n=4553）中调查了早期生活条件与首次怀孕年龄（AFP）之间的关联。低出生体重、母乳喂养时间短、儿童时期与母亲分离、家庭频繁搬迁以及缺乏父亲的参与，这些都与首次怀孕年龄较早有关。除了出生体重之外，这些影响在调整家庭社会经济地位（SEP）和队列成员母亲的出生年龄后仍然稳健。儿童时期 SEP 与 AFP 的关联部分是通过早期生活条件介导的，而早期生活条件与 AFP 的关联部分是通过儿童时期的情绪和行为问题介导的。早期逆境与 AFP 之间的总体关系似乎是近似相加的。
