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Late Age at First Birth is a Protective Factor for Preterm Labor and Delivery: The Evidence From the Genetic Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2024

Jinghui Zou ,
Cheng Li ,
Hangyu Wu ,
Aijiao Xue ,
Lulu Yan  and
Yisheng Zhang Open the ORCID record for Yisheng Zhang [Opens in a new window]
Jinghui Zou
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics, the Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Cheng Li
Affiliation:
Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Hangyu Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics, the Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Aijiao Xue
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics, the Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Lulu Yan
Affiliation:
The Central Laboratory of Birth Defects Prevention and Control, Women and Children’s Hospital of Ningbo University, Zhejiang, China
Yisheng Zhang*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics, the Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
*
Corresponding author: Yisheng Zhang; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic link between the age at first birth (AFB) and the occurrence of preterm labor and delivery, utilizing Mendelian randomization (MR) data alongside genomewide association analysis (GWAS). We obtained AFB-related GWAS summary data from the European Bioinformatics Institute database and preterm labor and delivery data was sourced from the FinnGen Consortium. The study considered AFB as exposure variables, with the incidence of preterm labor and delivery serving as the outcome variable. Several MR analysis methods, such as inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR Egger, weighted median, simple, and weighted mode were utilized. Besides MR-Egger intercepts, Cochrane’s Q test evaluated heterogeneity in the MR data, while MR-PRESSO test checked for horizontal pleiotropy. To assess the association’s sensitivity, A leave-one-out approach was utilized to evaluate the sensitivity of the association. The IVW analysis validated that AFB is an independent risk factor for preterm labor and delivery (p < .001). Horizontal pleiotropy was unlikely to bias causality (p > .05). The likelihood of horizontal pleiotropy affecting causality was low (p > .05), and there was no indication of heterogeneity among the genetic variants (p > .05). Ultimately, a leave-one-out analysis confirmed the stability and reliability of this correlation. Our research indicated that AFB is a protective factor for preterm labor and delivery. Further research is required to clarify the possible mechanisms.

Keywords

Mendelian randomizationAge at first birth (AFB)Preterm labor and deliveryGenetic
Type
Article
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 27 , Issue 6 , December 2024 , pp. 318 - 323
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Society for Twin Studies

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