Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Dec 21.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Jul 1;5(12):1717–1730. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01135-3

Figure 6. Summary genome-wide association study of timing of onset of reproductive behaviour: age at first sex (AFS) and age at first birth (AFB).

Figure 6

Provides a summary of the GWAS meta-analysis results and highlights that the timing of onset of reproductive behaviour is shaped by the combined effects of reproductive biology and externalizing behaviour but also exogenous environmental factors. Sex-specific genetic correlations are higher for AFB than AFS, with gene prioritization revealing some genes prioritized for men and women as well as sex-specific findings. Of the prioritized genes, 99 were expressed at the protein level in cell types of brain, glands and/or (fe)male reproductive organs. The fact that some prioritised proteins are expressed in some relevant tissues does not provide clear evidence supporting a causal role. Figure created by authors.