Does Nutrition Indicate More Than High Reproductive Value? Pregnancy Outcomes in NubilePrimiparas from an Evolutionary Perspective

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049211039506

Commentary

The idea that human males are most strongly attracted to women in younger age groups raises the question of how well women in those age groups cope with the potential dangers of a first pregnancy.

Using data on 1.7 million first births from 1990 U.S. fertility and mortality records, we compared the outcomes of women with first births between the ages of 16 and 20 (first births usually occur in foragers and survival groups) with those between the ages of 21 and 25.

Results showed that young first-time mothers had a much lower potential risk of parturition and childbirth, and that when evolutionarily novel risk factors are controlled for, the fetus has a much greater chance of survival despite its low birth weight.

Thus, the results indicate that young first-time mothers are more likely to have "successful reproductive outcomes," as defined in an evolutionarily appropriate manner.

This suggests that prior to the widespread availability of surgical procedures for childbirth, males who mated with females in the younger age range enjoyed the advantage that their reproductive partners were more likely to have a successful first pregnancy.

It is unclear whether this idea holds true today because of advances in medical technology, but it is true that this trend existed in the past!