Surprising sex fact: genetics may influence loss of virginity

A recent study in the United Kingdom has found that genetics may play some part in the age at which people first experience sexual intercourse, and when they have their first offspring, according to a story on livescience.com.

The analysis for the study looked at genetic data for over 125,000 men and women between the ages of 40 and 69 who were participants in a national study for health research, UK Biobank, and also two other data sets independent from that study, which included 240,000 residents of Iceland and another 20,000 from the United States.

The researchers pinpointed 38 genes that they separated into two broad groups, ones that contribute to physical maturity, and ones that influence personalities.  The first group of genes help determine when a person’s body is ready for sexual activity, and can influence the age at which the person loses his or her virginity, according to Felix Day, study co-author and genetics researcher at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

The second set of genes are linked to personality types and appear to have an influence on the tendency a person has for taking risks, such as having sex earlier in life.  Surprisingly, the person’s level of irritability, also influenced by the second set of genes, also appears to be linked with having sex at an earlier age.

Of course, the authors of the study say social factors are certainly influential in the timing of the beginning of sexual activity in people.  Perhaps the largest influences on the first sexual encounter a person experiences are social factors, like peer pressure and family culture, but genetics could also play a part.

The concerns driving the research for the new study are the negative outcomes of educational achievements and mental health in later life, often associated with earlier sexual encounters or childbirth at an early age.  Diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers have also been linked with reaching puberty at an early age.

Dr. Day said the understanding of the relationship between these genetic influences and those outcomes may lead to treatments or therapies that may help prevent the negative consequences.