Shedding new Light on the impact of genetics on fertility

A new review has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Ages by researchers from Oxford Population Health and the University of Iceland, revealing how your DNA shapes reproductive health, fertility, and even life expectancy. The article, published in December 2024, combines the results of 159 genetic studies and illuminates the complex relationship between genetics, fertility-related traits, and health.

The research team operates at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford, and one of the authors, Stefanía Benónísdóttir, is also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Iceland Science Institute and Faculty of Medicine.

Complex relationship between genetics and fertility

Numerous genetic studies have shown the relationship between genetic factors and fertility-related traits, but most have focused on individual characteristics rather than the overall picture.  In the review article, the authors summarise the results of 159 genetic studies published in the GWAS catalogue to provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between genetics and fertility. This approach makes the article unique, as it offers deeper insights into how these factors are interconnected in multiple ways.

The results show that 37 genes are associated with at least four different traits related to fertility. Some of these connections are not surprising, as a high correlation between phenotypes such as the hormones testosterone and SHBG is known. Other connections are very interesting. For example, genes with specific traits for men and women were found.  One of them, IGSF1, is associated with both the age of women at their first menstruation and the age of men at puberty.  Additionally, genes associated with both puberty and menopause were discovered, highlighting the complex interplay of genetics with different aspects of fertility.

Genetics and health

More than half of these genes have previously been linked to known genetic diseases, demonstrating that the relationship between fertility-related phenotypes and health is both complex and significant.  The authors emphasize that a better understanding of these factors could have important implications for the development of healthcare services.

"By summarising the results of all these studies, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of how genetics affect fertility-related phenotypes and their interconnections," says Stefanía Benónísdóttir.  "Further knowledge can be crucial for the continued development of healthcare services."
Those interested in learning more about the research can access the article on the Nature Aging website.

The Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science's discussion of the article can be found here.