In a recent study led by the University of Oxford, researchers discovered significant correlations between early-life diseases, including mental-behavioral disorders, and the likelihood of lifelong childlessness. This international study, encompassing over 2.5 million individuals born in Finland and Sweden, examined 414 early-life diseases’ links to involuntary childlessness. The findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, indicated that 33 of the 74 diseases significantly associated with childlessness were shared between men and women, with over half of these being mental-behavioral disorders. The analysis also uncovered novel connections between autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and childlessness.

The study’s implications extend to a better understanding of how diseases contribute to involuntary childlessness, emphasizing the necessity for enhanced public health interventions. Notably, certain diseases linked to childlessness displayed gender-specific patterns. For men, schizophrenia and acute alcohol intoxication were more strongly linked, while women showed stronger associations with diabetes-related diseases and congenital irregularities.

Lead author Aoxing Liu, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki’s Institute for Molecular Medicine, highlighted the global rise in childlessness, citing postponed parenthood as a significant factor. The research utilized nationwide registers to analyze data on 414 early-life diseases for 1.4 million women born between 1956-1973 and 1.1 million men born between 1956-1968. The study emphasized lower education levels as a contributing factor to childlessness.

Gender-specific differences were also noted in the age of receiving initial diagnoses and the likelihood of being childless. For instance, women initially diagnosed with obesity between ages 16-20 were more likely to remain childless than those diagnosed later. Senior author Melinda Mills from the University of Oxford underscored the need for interdisciplinary research and increased public health emphasis on early-life diseases concerning childlessness. The researchers acknowledged the importance of further studies to generalize results beyond Nordic countries and adapt to evolving treatments, reproductive practices, and partnerships in more recent cohorts.

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