While social and cultural factors are clearly relevant, we show that age at first sexual intercourse is also influenced by genes.
- John Perry
Age at first sexual intercourse is known to be influenced by social and family factors, such as peer pressure, but this study shows that genetic factors also have an influence on the timing of this sexual behaviour. It is known from other studies that first sexual intercourse at an early age is associated with adverse educational achievements, physical health and mental wellbeing.
To identify the gene differences which influence timing of sexual behavioural, the researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge analysed the genetic data of 59,357 men and 66,310 women aged between 40 and 69 years old part of UK Biobank, a national study for health research.
This analysis identified 38 gene variants that were associated with age at first sexual intercourse. Several of these gene variants were located in or near genes previously implicated in brain development and neural connections, and their analysis uncovered associations with a range of reproductive behaviours, such as age at first birth and number of children.
Dr John Perry, a senior investigator scientist at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, and a lead author of the paper, said: “While social and cultural factors are clearly relevant, we show that age at first sexual intercourse is also influenced by genes which act on the timing of childhood physical maturity and by genes which contribute to our natural differences in personality types.”
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Image: Cherries
Credit: Amanda Slater
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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