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Evidence from Finland and Sweden on the relationship between early-life diseases and lifetime childlessness in men and women

Author

Listed:
  • Aoxing Liu

    (University of Helsinki
    Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
    Massachusetts General Hospital)

  • Evelina T. Akimova

    (University of Oxford)

  • Xuejie Ding

    (University of Oxford)

  • Sakari Jukarainen

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Pekka Vartiainen

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Tuomo Kiiskinen

    (University of Helsinki
    Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)

  • Sara Koskelainen

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Aki S. Havulinna

    (University of Helsinki
    Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)

  • Mika Gissler

    (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
    University of Turku
    Academic Primary Health Care Centre
    Karolinska Institutet)

  • Stefano Lombardi

    (VATT Institute for Economic Research)

  • Tove Fall

    (Uppsala University)

  • Melinda C. Mills

    (University of Oxford
    University of Groningen
    University Medical Centre Groningen)

  • Andrea Ganna

    (University of Helsinki
    Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
    Massachusetts General Hospital)

Abstract

The percentage of people without children over their lifetime is approximately 25% in men and 20% in women. Individual diseases have been linked to childlessness, mostly in women, yet we lack a comprehensive picture of the effect of early-life diseases on lifetime childlessness. We examined all individuals born in 1956–1968 (men) and 1956–1973 (women) in Finland (n = 1,035,928) and Sweden (n = 1,509,092) to the completion of their reproductive lifespan in 2018. Leveraging nationwide registers, we associated sociodemographic and reproductive information with 414 diseases across 16 categories, using a population and matched-pair case–control design of siblings discordant for childlessness (71,524 full sisters and 77,622 full brothers). The strongest associations were mental–behavioural disorders (particularly among men), congenital anomalies and endocrine–nutritional–metabolic disorders (strongest among women). We identified new associations for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Associations were dependent on age at onset and mediated by singlehood and education. This evidence can be used to understand how disease contributes to involuntary childlessness.

Suggested Citation

  • Aoxing Liu & Evelina T. Akimova & Xuejie Ding & Sakari Jukarainen & Pekka Vartiainen & Tuomo Kiiskinen & Sara Koskelainen & Aki S. Havulinna & Mika Gissler & Stefano Lombardi & Tove Fall & Melinda C. , 2024. "Evidence from Finland and Sweden on the relationship between early-life diseases and lifetime childlessness in men and women," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(2), pages 276-287, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:8:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1038_s41562-023-01763-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01763-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sanna Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist & Jessica Nisén & Niina Metsä-Simola & Pekka Martikainen & Mikko Myrskylä, 2025. "Different mental health disorders and childlessness: the importance of partnership status," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2025-010, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    2. Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist, Sanna & Moustgaard, Heta & Martikainen, Pekka & Myrskylä, Mikko, 2024. "Own depression, partner's depression, and childlessness: A nationwide register-based study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    3. Abdellaoui, Abdel & Martin, Hilary C. & Rutherford, Adam & Kolk, Martin & Muthukrishna, Michael & Tropf, Felix & Mills, Melinda C. & Zietsch, Brendan & Verweij, Karin J.H. & Visscher, Peter M., 2025. "Socio-economic status is a social construct with heritable components and genetic consequences: a social construct with heritable components and genetic consequences," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 127662, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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