Associations Between Reproductive Disorders and Specific Physical, Mental, Personality, and Social Characteristics: A...

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Human Genetics
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Reproductive disorders may be associated with specific physical, mental, personality, and social traits.
• This association could support or refute hypotheses on the origin of infecundity related to partner selection based on preferred characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and ascertain associations between reproductive disorders and specific human traits.
• To evaluate the hypothesis that individuals with preferred characteristics have an advantage in partner selection.

Main Methods:

• A literature search was conducted using the PubMed database.
• The search focused on reported associations for endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, diminished ovarian reserve, and low semen quality with various traits.

Main Results:

• Endometriosis is linked to lower BMI, specific body ratios, acne, red hair, fair skin, light eyes, and sun sensitivity.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with central adiposity, acne, acanthosis nigricans, hirsutism, and lower cognitive performance.
• Diminished ovarian reserve is linked to cycle length variations, while low semen quality correlates negatively with BMI, waist circumference, weight gain, extraversion, psychoticism, and positively with intelligence.
• All four disorders show significant associations with anxiety, stress, depression, economic burden, or lower socioeconomic status.

Conclusions:

• Specific physical, mental, personality, and social traits are associated with four major reproductive disorders.
• Further research with multiethnic and multicultural perspectives is needed to fully evaluate these trait associations.