Developmental influences on fertility decisions by women: an evolutionary perspective
| Autor: | David A. Coall, Paula Sheppard, Michelle Tickner, Lisa McAllister |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Attractiveness
media_common.quotation_subject Birth weight Human Development Decision Making Health Behavior 050109 social psychology Fertility Biology Environment General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Developmental psychology Life history theory 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Human development (biology) Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Life History Traits media_common Menarche 030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine 05 social sciences Articles Fecundity Biological Evolution Life course approach General Agricultural and Biological Sciences |
| Zdroj: | Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences. 371(1692) |
| ISSN: | 1471-2970 |
| Popis: | Developmental environments are crucial for shaping our life course. Elements of the early social and biological environments have been consistently associated with reproduction in humans. To date, a strong focus has been on the relationship between early stress, earlier menarche and first child birth in women. These associations, found predominately in high-income countries, have been usefully interpreted within life-history theory frameworks. Fertility, on the other hand—a missing link between an individual's early environment, reproductive strategy and fitness—has received little attention. Here, we synthesize this literature by examining the associations between early adversity, age at menarche and fertility and fecundity in women. We examine the evidence that potential mechanisms such as birth weight, childhood body composition, risky health behaviours and developmental influences on attractiveness link the early environment and fecundity and fertility. The evidence that menarche is associated with fertility and fecundity is good. Currently, owing to the small number of correlational studies and mixed methodologies, the evidence that early adversity predicts fecundity and fertility is not conclusive. This area of research is in its infancy; studies examining early adversity and adult fertility decisions that can also examine likely biological, social and psychological pathways present opportunities for future fertility research. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|