1932
0
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Annual Review of Anthropology
  4. Volume 49, 2020
  5. Article

Annual Review of Anthropology

Volume 49, 2020

Socio-Ecological Challenges as Modulators of Women's Reproductive Trajectories

Abstract

Amenorrhea, anovulatory cycles, miscarriages, and other reproductive outcomes are often seen as pathological. Life history theory, in contrast, treats those outcomes as adaptations that helped women optimize the timing of reproductive ventures across our evolutionary history. Women's bodies adjust their reproductive strategies in response to socio-ecological conditions, a process mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). Here, we review the links between socio-ecological conditions, HPAA activity, and the pace of women's reproductive transitions such as puberty, age at first birth, interbirth interval, and perimenopause. We also discuss the HPAA's role as a modulator of reproductive function: It not only suppresses it but may also prime women's bodies for future reproductive ventures. We conclude by reviewing challenges and opportunities within our subfield, including the need for transdisciplinary teams to develop longitudinal studies to improve our understanding of women's reproductive trajectories and outcomes from the moment they are conceived.

Keyword(s): cortisol, HPAA, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, life history theory, reproduction, reproductive trajectories, stress
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102317-045930
2020-10-21
2024-04-25
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/anthro/49/1/annurev-anthro-102317-045930.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102317-045930&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Literature Cited

  1. Adam EK. 2006. Transactions among adolescent trait and state emotion and diurnal and momentary cortisol activity in naturalistic settings. Psychoneuroendocrinology 31:664–79
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Altemus M, Deuster PA, Galliven E, Carter CS, Gold PW 1995. Suppression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in lactating women. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 80:2954–58
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Altemus M, Redwine LS, Leong YM, Frye CA, Porges SW, Carter CS 2001. Responses to laboratory psychosocial stress in postpartum women. Psychosom. Med. 63:814–21
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Anderson CA, Duffy DL, Martin NG, Visscher PM 2007. Estimation of variance components for age at menarche in twin families. Behav. Genet. 37:668–77
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Antón SC, Snodgrass JJ. 2012. Origins and evolution of genus Homo: new perspectives. Curr. Anthropol. 53:S479–96
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Ashley-Montagu MF. 1946. Adolescent sterility in the human female. Hum. Fertil. 11:33–41
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Awal DK, Schroeder DG, Martorell R, Rivera JA 1995. Age at menarche and nutritional supplementation. J. Nutr. 125:1090S–96S
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Baird DD, Strassmann BI. 2000. Women's fecundability and factors affecting it. Women and Health MB Goldman, MC Hatch 126–37 San Diego: Academic
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Baird DD, Weinberg CR, Zhou H, Kamel F, McConnaughey DR et al. 1999. Preimplantation urinary hormone profiles and the probability of conception in healthy women. Fertil. Steril. 71:40–49
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Barha CK, Salvante KG, Jones MJ, Farre P, Blais J et al. 2019. Early post-conception maternal cortisol, children's HPAA activity and DNA methylation profiles. J. Dev. Orig. Health Dis. 10:73–87
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Belsky J. 2012. The development of human reproductive strategies: progress and prospects. Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 21:310–16
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Belsky J, Schlomer GL, Ellis BJ 2012. Beyond cumulative risk: distinguishing harshness and unpredictability as determinants of parenting and early life history strategy. Dev. Psychol. 48:662–73
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Blakemore SJ, Burnett S, Dahl RE 2010. The role of puberty in the developing adolescent brain. Hum. Brain Mapp. 31:926–33
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Bleil ME, Adler NE, Pasch LA, Sternfeld B, Gregorich SE et al. 2012. Psychological stress and reproductive aging among pre-menopausal women. Hum. Reprod. 27:2720–28
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Bokony V, Lendvai AZ, Liker A, Angelier F, Wingfield JC, Chastel O 2009. Stress response and the value of reproduction: Are birds prudent parents. ? Am. Nat. 173:589–98
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Bongaarts J. 2009. Human population growth and the demographic transition. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 364:2985–90
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Bonier F, Martin PR, Moore IT, Wingfield JC 2009a. Do baseline glucocorticoids predict fitness. ? Trends Ecol. Evol. 24:634–42
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Bonier F, Moore IT, Martin PR, Robertson RJ 2009b. The relationship between fitness and baseline glucocorticoids in a passerine bird. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 163:208–13
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Bonney EA. 2016. Immune regulation in pregnancy: a matter of perspective. ? Obstet. Gynecol. Clin. North Am. 43:679–98
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Brent LJN, Franks DW, Foster EA, Balcomb KC, Cant MA, Croft DP 2015. Ecological knowledge, leadership, and the evolution of menopause in killer whales. Curr. Biol. 25:746–50
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Breuner CW, Orchinik M. 2002. Plasma binding proteins as mediators of corticosteroid action in vertebrates. J. Endocrinol. 175:99–112
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Breuner CW, Patterson SH, Hahn TP 2008. In search of relationships between the acute adrenocortical response and fitness. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 157:288–95
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Broekmans FJ, Soules MR, Fauser BC 2009. Ovarian aging: mechanisms and clinical consequences. Endocr. Rev. 30:465–93
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Bromberger JT, Matthews KA, Kuller LH, Wing RR, Meilahn EN, Plantinga P 1997. Prospective study of the determinants of age at menopause. Am. J. Epidemiol. 145:124–33
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Bronson FH. 1995. Seasonal variation in human reproduction: environmental factors. Q. Rev. Biol. 70:141–64
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Buck Louis GM, Lum KJ, Sundaram R, Chen Z, Kim S et al. 2011. Stress reduces conception probabilities across the fertile window: evidence in support of relaxation. Fertil. Steril. 95:2184–89
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Bull JR. 2019. Real-world menstrual cycle characteristics of more than 600,000 menstrual cycles. npj Digit. Med. 2:83
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Cabrera SM, Bright GM, Frane JW, Blethen SL, Lee PA 2014. Age of thelarche and menarche in contemporary US females: a cross-sectional analysis. J. Pediatr. Endocrinol. Metab. 27:47–51
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Charmandari E, Kino T, Chrousos GP 2004. Glucocorticoids and their actions: an introduction. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1024:1–8
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Chisholm JS, Quinlivan JA, Petersen RW, Coall DA 2005. Early stress predicts age at menarche and first birth, adult attachment, and expected lifespan. Hum. Nat. 16:233–65
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Chrousos GP, Torpy DJ, Gold PW 1998. Interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and the female reproductive system. Ann. Intern. Med. 129:229–40
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Coall DA, Tickner M, McAllister LS, Sheppard P 2016. Developmental influences on fertility decisions by women: an evolutionary perspective. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 371:20150146
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Colli LM, do Amaral FC, Torres N, de Castro M 2007. Interindividual glucocorticoid sensitivity in young healthy subjects: the role of glucocorticoid receptor α and β isoforms ratio. Horm. Metab. Res. 39:425–29
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Creel S, Winnie JA, Christianson D 2009. Glucocorticoid stress hormones and the effect of predation risk on elk reproduction. PNAS 106:12388–93
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Crespi EJ, Denver RJ. 2005. Ancient origins of human developmental plasticity. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 17:44–54
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Crespi EJ, Williams TD, Jessop TS, Delehanty B 2013. Life history and the ecology of stress: How do glucocorticoid hormones influence life‐history variation in animals. ? Funct. Ecol. 27:93–106
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Croft DP, Johnstone RA, Ellis S, Nattrass S, Franks DW et al. 2017. Reproductive conflict and the evolution of menopause in killer whales. Curr. Biol. 27:298–304
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Denver RJ. 2009a. Stress hormones mediate environment-genotype interactions during amphibian development. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 164:20–31
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Denver RJ. 2009b. Structural and functional evolution of vertebrate neuroendocrine stress systems. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1163:1–16
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Deschamps S, Woodside B, Walker C-D 2003. Pups presence eliminates the stress hyporesponsiveness of early lactating females to a psychological stress representing a threat to the pups. J. Neuroendocrinol. 15:486–97
     [Google Scholar]
  41. de Weerth C, Buitelaar JK 2005. Physiological stress reactivity in human pregnancy—a review. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 29:295–312
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Ellis BJ. 2004. Timing of pubertal maturation in girls: an integrated life history approach. Psychol. Bull. 130:920–58
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Ellison PT. 1996. Developmental influences on adult ovarian hormonal function. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 8:725–34
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Ellison PT. 2017. Endocrinology, energetics, and human life history: a synthetic model. Horm. Behav. 91:97–106
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Ellison PT, Lager C. 1986. Moderate recreational running is associated with lowered salivary progesterone profiles in women. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 154:1000–3
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Ellison PT, Reiches MW, Shattuck-Faegre H, Breakey A, Konecna M et al. 2012. Puberty as a life history transition. Ann. Hum. Biol. 39:352–60
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Ferin M. 1999. Stress and the reproductive cycle. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 84:1768–74
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Foote AD. 2008. Mortality rate acceleration and post-reproductive lifespan in matrilineal whale species. Biol. Lett. 4:189–91
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Gaudineau A, Ehlinger V, Vayssiere C, Jouret B, Arnaud C, Godeau E 2010. Factors associated with early menarche: results from the French Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. BMC Public Health 10:175
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Glennemeier KA, Denver RJ. 2002. Role for corticoids in mediating the response of Rana pipiens tadpoles to intraspecific competition. J. Exp. Zool. 292:32–40
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Gluckman PD, Hanson MA, Spencer HG 2005. Predictive adaptive responses and human evolution. Trends Ecol. Evol. 20:527–33
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Glynn LM, Davis EP, Schetter CD, Chicz-Demet A, Hobel CJ, Sandman CA 2007. Postnatal maternal cortisol levels predict temperament in healthy breastfed infants. Early Hum. Dev. 83:675–81
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Gold EB. 2011. The timing of the age at which natural menopause occurs. Obstet. Gynecol. Clin. North Am. 38:425–40
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Goos HJ, Consten D. 2002. Stress adaptation, cortisol and pubertal development in the male common carp. Cyprinus carpio. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 197:105–16
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Gray KE, Schiff MA, Fitzpatrick AL, Kimura M, Aviv A, Starr JR 2014. Leukocyte telomere length and age at menopause. Epidemiology 25:139–46
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Griskevicius V, Delton AW, Robertson TE, Tybur JM 2011. Environmental contingency in life history strategies: the influence of mortality and socioeconomic status on reproductive timing. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 100:241–54
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Gunnar MR, Wewerka S, Frenn K, Long JD, Griggs C 2009. Developmental changes in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal activity over the transition to adolescence: normative changes and associations with puberty. Dev. Psychopathol. 21:69–85
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Gurven M, Walker R. 2006. Energetic demand of multiple dependents and the evolution of slow human growth. Proc. R. Soc. B 273:835–41
     [Google Scholar]
  59. Hales CN, Barker DJ. 2001. The thrifty phenotype hypothesis. Br. Med. Bull. 60:5–20
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Hammond GL. 2016. Plasma steroid-binding proteins: primary gatekeepers of steroid hormone action. J. Endocrinol. 230:R13–25
     [Google Scholar]
  61. Hanna CW, Bretherick KL, Gair JL, Fluker MR, Stephenson MD, Robinson WP 2009. Telomere length and reproductive aging. Hum. Reprod. 24:1206–11
     [Google Scholar]
  62. Hartman CG. 1931. On the relative sterility of the adolescent organism. Science 74:226–27
     [Google Scholar]
  63. Haussmann MF, Marchetto NM. 2010. Telomeres: linking stress and survival, ecology and evolution. Curr. Zool. 56:714–27
     [Google Scholar]
  64. Heinig MJ, Dewey KG. 1997. Health effects of breast feeding for mothers: a critical review. Nutr. Res. Rev. 10:35–56
     [Google Scholar]
  65. Herrera E. 2002. Lipid metabolism in pregnancy and its consequences in the fetus and newborn. Endocrine 19:43–55
     [Google Scholar]
  66. Hill K, Hurtado M. 2009. Cooperative breeding in South American hunter–gatherers. Proc. R. Soc. B 276:3863–70
     [Google Scholar]
  67. Hillard PJA. 2008. Menstruation in adolescents: what's normal, what's not. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1135:29–35
     [Google Scholar]
  68. Hirshberg A, Srinivas SK. 2017. Epidemiology of maternal morbidity and mortality. Semin. Perinatol. 41:332–37
     [Google Scholar]
  69. Howie PW, McNeilly AS, Houston MJ, Cook A, Boyle H 1982. Fertility after childbirth: post-partum ovulation and menstruation in bottle and breast feeding mothers. Clin. Endocrinol. 17:323–32
     [Google Scholar]
  70. Hoyt LT, Falconi AM. 2015. Puberty and perimenopause: reproductive transitions and their implications for women's health. Soc. Sci. Med. 132:103–12
     [Google Scholar]
  71. Hrdy SB. 2009. Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
  72. Hutchings J. 1993. Adaptive life histories effected by age-specific survival and growth rate. Ecology 74:673–84
     [Google Scholar]
  73. Irwin M, Daniels M, Risch SC, Bloom E, Weiner H 1988. Plasma cortisol and natural killer cell activity during bereavement. Biol. Psychiatry 24:173–78
     [Google Scholar]
  74. Jacobsen BK, Heuch I, Kvale G 2007. Association of low age at menarche with increased all-cause mortality: a 37-year follow-up of 61,319 Norwegian women. Am. J. Epidemiol. 166:1431–37
     [Google Scholar]
  75. Jasienska G, Ellison PT. 1998. Physical work causes suppression of ovarian function in women. Proc. R. Soc. B 265:1847–51
     [Google Scholar]
  76. Jasienska G, Ellison PT. 2004. Energetic factors and seasonal changes in ovarian function in women from rural Poland. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:563–80
     [Google Scholar]
  77. Joëls M, Karst H, DeRijk R, de Kloet ER 2008. The coming out of the brain mineralocorticoid receptor. Trends Neurosci 31:1–7
     [Google Scholar]
  78. Joseph DN, Whirledge S. 2017. Stress and the HPA axis: balancing homeostasis and fertility. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 18:10
     [Google Scholar]
  79. Jung C, Ho JT, Torpy DJ, Rogers A, Doogue M et al. 2011. A longitudinal study of plasma and urinary cortisol in pregnancy and postpartum. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 96:1533–40
     [Google Scholar]
  80. Kajantie E. 2008. Physiological stress response, estrogen, and the male–female mortality gap. Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 17:348–52
     [Google Scholar]
  81. Kajantie E, Phillips DI. 2006. The effects of sex and hormonal status on the physiological response to acute psychosocial stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 31:151–78
     [Google Scholar]
  82. Kalantaridou SN, Makrigiannakis A, Zoumakis E, Chrousos GP 2004. Stress and the female reproductive system. J. Reprod. Immunol. 62:61–68
     [Google Scholar]
  83. Kalantaridou SN, Zoumakis E, Makrigiannakis A, Lavasidis LG, Vrekoussis T, Chrousos GP 2010. Corticotropin-releasing hormone, stress and human reproduction: an update. J. Reprod. Immunol. 85:33–39
     [Google Scholar]
  84. Kapczuk K. 2017. Elite athletes and pubertal delay. Minerva Pediatr 69:415–26
     [Google Scholar]
  85. Karapanou O, Papadimitriou A. 2010. Determinants of menarche. Reprod. Biol. Endocrinol. 8:115
     [Google Scholar]
  86. Keefe DL, Liu L. 2009. Telomeres and reproductive aging. Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 21:10–14
     [Google Scholar]
  87. Kirkpatrick BL, Esquivel E, Moss GE, Hamernik DL, Wise ME 1998. Estradiol and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) interact to increase GnRH receptor expression in ovariectomized ewes after hypothalamic-pituitary disconnection. Endocrine 8:225–29
     [Google Scholar]
  88. Kudielka BM, Schnidt-Reinwald AK, Hellhammer DH, Kirschbaum C 1999. Psychological and endocrine responses to psychosocial stress and dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone in healthy postmenopausal women and young controls: the impact of age and a two-week estradiol treatment. Neuroendocrinology 71:422–30
     [Google Scholar]
  89. Kuzawa CW, Bragg JM. 2012. Plasticity in human life history strategy: implications for contemporary human variation and the evolution of genus Homo. Curr. . Anthropol 53:S369–82
     [Google Scholar]
  90. Lahdenpera M, Mar KU, Lummaa V 2014. Reproductive cessation and post-reproductive lifespan in Asian elephants and pre-industrial humans. Front. Zool. 11:54
     [Google Scholar]
  91. Lawson DW, Mace R. 2011. Parental investment and the optimization of human family size. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 366:333–43
     [Google Scholar]
  92. Le Boeuf B, Condit R, Reiter J 2019. Lifetime reproductive success of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). Can. J. Zool. 97:1203–17
     [Google Scholar]
  93. Legro RS, Lin HM, Demers LM, Lloyd T 2003. Urinary free cortisol increases in adolescent Caucasian females during perimenarche. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 88:215–19
     [Google Scholar]
  94. Leonard SA, Main EK, Carmichael SL 2019. The contribution of maternal characteristics and cesarean delivery to an increasing trend of severe maternal morbidity. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 19:16
     [Google Scholar]
  95. Levins R. 1968. Evolution in Changing Environments: Some Theoretical Explorations Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press
  96. Lightmann SL, Windle RJ, Wood SA, Kershaw YM, Shanks N, Ingram CD 2001. Peripartum plasticity within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Prog. Brain Res. 133:111–30
     [Google Scholar]
  97. Lipson SF, Ellison PT. 1992. Normative study of age variation in salivary progesterone profiles. J. Biosoc. Sci. 24:233–44
     [Google Scholar]
  98. Low BS, Hazel A, Parker N, Welch KB 2008. Influences on women's reproductive lives: unexpected ecological underpinnings. Cross-Cult. Res. 42:201–19
     [Google Scholar]
  99. Lutz W, Qiang R. 2002. Determinants of human population growth. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 357:1197–210
     [Google Scholar]
  100. Lynch CD, Sundaram R, Maisog JM, Sweeney AM, Buck Louis GM 2014. Preconception stress increases the risk of infertility: results from a couple-based prospective cohort study—the LIFE study. Hum. Reprod. 29:1067–75
     [Google Scholar]
  101. Mascarello KC, Horta BL, Silveira MF 2017. Maternal complications and cesarean section without indication: systematic review and meta-analysis. Rev. Saúde Pública 51:105
     [Google Scholar]
  102. Mastorakos G, Ilias I. 2003. Maternal and fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes during pregnancy and postpartum. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 997:136–49
     [Google Scholar]
  103. McEwen BS. 2004. Protection and damage from acute and chronic stress: allostasis and allostatic overload and relevance to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1032:1–7
     [Google Scholar]
  104. McEwen BS, Wingfield JC. 2010. What is in a name? Integrating homeostasis, allostasis and stress. Horm. Behav. 57:105–11
     [Google Scholar]
  105. McKerracher LJ, Nepomnaschy P, Altman RM, Sellen D, Collard M 2020. Breastfeeding duration and the social learning of infant feeding knowledge in two Maya communities. Hum. Nat. 31:43–67
     [Google Scholar]
  106. McNeilly AS, Howie PW, Houston MJ, Cook A, Boyle H 1982. Fertility after childbirth: adequacy of post-partum luteal phases. Clin. Endocrinol. 17:609–15
     [Google Scholar]
  107. Meczekalski B, Katulski K, Czyzyk A, Podfigurna-Stopa A, Maciejewska-Jeske M 2014. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and its influence on women's health. J. Endocrinol. Investig. 37:1049–56
     [Google Scholar]
  108. Mendle J, Turkheimer E, D'Onofrio BM, Lynch SK, Emery RE et al. 2006. Family structure and age at menarche: a children-of-twins approach. Dev. Psychol. 42:533–42
     [Google Scholar]
  109. Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Belsky J, Silva PA 1992. Childhood experience and the onset of menarche: a test of a sociobiological model. Child Dev 63:47–58
     [Google Scholar]
  110. Nakamura K, Sheps S, Arck PC 2008. Stress and reproductive failure: past notions, present insights and future directions. J. Assist. Reprod. Genet. 25:47–62
     [Google Scholar]
  111. Nattrass S, Croft DP, Ellis S, Cant MA, Weiss MN et al. 2019. Postreproductive killer whale grandmothers improve the survival of their grandoffspring. PNAS 116:26669–73
     [Google Scholar]
  112. Nenke MA, Zeng A, Meyer EJ, Lewis JG, Rankin W et al. 2017. Differential effects of estrogen on corticosteroid-binding globulin forms suggests reduced cleavage in pregnancy. J. Endocr. Soc. 1:202–10
     [Google Scholar]
  113. Nepomnaschy PA, Altman RM, Watterson R, Co C, McConnell D, England BG 2011. Is cortisol excretion independent of menstrual cycle day? A longitudinal evaluation of first morning urinary specimens. PLOS ONE 6:e18242
     [Google Scholar]
  114. Nepomnaschy PA, Lee TCK, Zeng L, Dean CB 2012. Who is stressed? Methods to appropriately compare cortisol levels between individuals. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 24:515–25
     [Google Scholar]
  115. Nepomnaschy PA, Salvante KG, Zeng L, Pyles C, Ma H et al. 2015. Variation in maternal urinary cortisol profiles across the peri-conceptional period: a longitudinal description and evaluation of potential functions. Hum. Reprod. 30:1460–72
     [Google Scholar]
  116. Nepomnaschy PA, Sheiner E, Mastorakos G, Arck PC 2007. Stress, immune function, and women's reproduction. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1113:350–64
     [Google Scholar]
  117. Nepomnaschy PA, Welch K, McConnell D, Strassmann BI, England BG 2004. Stress and female reproductive function: a study of daily variations in cortisol, gonadotrophins, and gonadal steroids in a rural Mayan population. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:523–32
     [Google Scholar]
  118. Nepomnaschy PA, Welch KB, McConnell DS, Low BS, Strassmann BI, England BG 2006. Cortisol levels and very early pregnancy loss in humans. PNAS 103:3938–42
     [Google Scholar]
  119. Nettle D. 2014. Dying young and living fast: variation in life history across English neighborhoods. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 21:387–95
     [Google Scholar]
  120. Nettle D, Coall DA, Dickins TE 2011. Early-life conditions and age at first pregnancy in British women. Proc. R. Soc. B 278:1721–27
     [Google Scholar]
  121. Norwitz ER, Schust DJ, Fisher SJ 2001. Implantation and the survival of early pregnancy. New Engl. J. Med. 345:1400–8
     [Google Scholar]
  122. Ntusi NBA, Mayosi BM. 2009. Aetiology and risk factors of peripartum cardiomyopathy: a systematic review. Int. J. Cardiol. 131:168–79
     [Google Scholar]
  123. Oh KJ, Han HS, Kim MJ, Koo SH 2013. Transcriptional regulators of hepatic gluconeogenesis. Arch. Pharmacal Res. 36:189–200
     [Google Scholar]
  124. Ong KK, Ahmed ML, Dunger DB 2006. Lessons from large population studies on timing and tempo of puberty (secular trends and relation to body size): the European trend. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 254–255:8–12
     [Google Scholar]
  125. Pal L, Bevilacqua K, Santoro NF 2010. Chronic psychosocial stressors are detrimental to ovarian reserve: a study of infertile women. J. Psychosom. Obstet. Gynaecol. 31:130–39
     [Google Scholar]
  126. Palomba S, Santagni S, La Sala GB 2015. Progesterone administration for luteal phase deficiency in human reproduction: an old or new issue?. J. Ovarian Res. 8:77
     [Google Scholar]
  127. Papadimitriou A. 2016. The evolution of the age at menarche from prehistorical to modern times. J. Pediatr. Adolesc. Gynecol. 29:527–30
     [Google Scholar]
  128. Petraglia F, Potter E, Cameron VA, Sutton S, Behan DP et al. 1993. Corticotropin-releasing factor-binding protein is produced by human placenta and intrauterine tissues. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 77:919–24
     [Google Scholar]
  129. Pierre K, Rao RT, Hartmanshenn C, Androulakis IP 2018. Modeling the influence of seasonal differences in the HPA axis on synchronization of the circadian clock and cell cycle. Endocrinology 159:1808–26
     [Google Scholar]
  130. Piers LS, Diggavi SN, Thangam S, van Raaij JM, Shetty PS, Hautvast JG 1995. Changes in energy expenditure, anthropometry, and energy intake during the course of pregnancy and lactation in well-nourished Indian women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 61:501–13
     [Google Scholar]
  131. Poser CM. 1984. MS and postpartum stress. Neurology 34:704–5
     [Google Scholar]
  132. Promislow DEL, Harvey PH. 1990. Living fast and dying young—a comparative analysis of life-history variation among mammals. J. Zool. 220:417–37
     [Google Scholar]
  133. Proos LA. 2009. Growth & development of Indian children adopted in Sweden. Indian J. Med. Res. 130:646–50
     [Google Scholar]
  134. Proos LA, Hofvander Y, Tuvemo T 1991. Menarcheal age and growth pattern of Indian girls adopted in Sweden. I. Menarcheal age. Acta Paediatr. Scand. 80:852–58
     [Google Scholar]
  135. Proos LA, Karlberg J, Hofvander Y, Tuvemo T 1993. Pubertal linear growth of Indian girls adopted in Sweden. Acta Paediatr. Scand. 82:641–44
     [Google Scholar]
  136. Provencal N, Binder EB. 2015. The neurobiological effects of stress as contributors to psychiatric disorders: focus on epigenetics. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 30:31–37
     [Google Scholar]
  137. Qu F, Wu Y, Zhu YH, Barry J, Ding T et al. 2017. The association between psychological stress and miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci. Rep. 7:1731
     [Google Scholar]
  138. Ramakrishnan U, Barnhart H, Schroeder DG, Stein AD, Martorell R 1999. Early childhood nutrition, education and fertility milestones in Guatemala. J. Nutr. 129:2196–202
     [Google Scholar]
  139. Rivier C, Rivest S. 1991. Effect of stress on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis: peripheral and central mechanisms. Biol. Reprod. 45:523–32
     [Google Scholar]
  140. Robinson BG, Emanuel RL, Frim DM, Majzoub JA 1988. Glucocorticoid stimulates expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone gene in human placenta. PNAS 85:5244–48
     [Google Scholar]
  141. Robson SL, Wood B. 2008. Hominin life history: reconstruction and evolution. J. Anat. 212:394–425
     [Google Scholar]
  142. Roff DA. 1992. The Evolution of Life Histories: Theory and Analysis New York: Chapman Hall
  143. Romero LM. 2002. Seasonal changes in plasma glucocorticoid concentrations in free-living vertebrates. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 128:1–24
     [Google Scholar]
  144. Romero LM, Dickens MJ, Cyr NE 2009. The reactive scope model—a new model integrating homeostasis, allostasis, and stress. Horm. Behav. 55:375–89
     [Google Scholar]
  145. Romero R, Scoccia B, Mazor M, Wu YK, Benveniste R 1988. Evidence for a local change in the progesterone/estrogen ratio in human parturition at term. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 159:657–60
     [Google Scholar]
  146. Saffa G, Kubicka AM, Hromada M, Kramer KL 2019. Is the timing of menarche correlated with mortality and fertility rates. ? PLOS ONE 14:e0215462
     [Google Scholar]
  147. Sarkar PL, Zeng L, Chen Y, Salvante KG, Nepomnaschy PA 2013. A longitudinal evaluation of the relationship between first morning urinary and salivary cortisol. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 25:351–58
     [Google Scholar]
  148. Schultner J, Kitaysky AS, Gabrielsen GW, Hatch SA, Bech C 2013. Differential reproductive responses to stress reveal the role of life-history strategies within a species. Proc. R. Soc. B 280:20132090
     [Google Scholar]
  149. Sear R, Sheppard P, Coall DA 2019. Cross-cultural evidence does not support universal acceleration of puberty in father-absent households. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 374:20180124
     [Google Scholar]
  150. Seeman TE, Singer B, Wilkinson CW, McEwen B 2001. Gender differences in age-related changes in HPA axis reactivity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 26:225–40
     [Google Scholar]
  151. Shapiro GD, Fraser WD, Frasch MG, Seguin JR 2013. Psychosocial stress in pregnancy and preterm birth: associations and mechanisms. J. Perinat. Med. 41:631–45
     [Google Scholar]
  152. Shi L, Wudy SA, Buyken AE, Maser-Gluth C, Hartmann MF, Remer T 2011. Prepubertal glucocorticoid status and pubertal timing. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 96:E891–98
     [Google Scholar]
  153. Shirtcliff EA, Allison AL, Armstrong JM, Slattery MJ, Kalin NH, Essex MJ 2012. Longitudinal stability and developmental properties of salivary cortisol levels and circadian rhythms from childhood to adolescence. Dev. Psychobiol. 54:493–502
     [Google Scholar]
  154. Sibly RM, Calow P. 1986. Physiological Ecology of Animals: An Evolutionary Approach Oxford, UK: Blackwell Sci.
  155. Simpson JA, Griskevicius V, Kuo SI, Sung S, Collins WA 2012. Evolution, stress, and sensitive periods: the influence of unpredictability in early versus late childhood on sex and risky behavior. Dev. Psychobiol. 48:674–86
     [Google Scholar]
  156. Sloboda DM, Hart R, Doherty DA, Pennell CE, Hickey M 2007. Age at menarche: influences of prenatal and postnatal growth. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 92:46–50
     [Google Scholar]
  157. Smith A, Witte E, McGee D, Knott J, Narang K, Racicot K 2017. Cortisol inhibits CSF2 and CSF3 via DNA methylation and inhibits invasion in first-trimester trophoblast cells. Am. J. Reprod. Immunol. 78:e12741
     [Google Scholar]
  158. Stearns SC. 1992. The Evolution of Life Histories London: Oxford Univ. Press
  159. Stevens MY, Challis JR, Lye SJ 1998. Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor subtype 1 is significantly up-regulated at the time of labor in the human myometrium. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83:4107–15
     [Google Scholar]
  160. Strowitzki T, Germeyer A, Popovici R, von Wolff M 2006. The human endometrium as a fertility-determining factor. Hum. Reprod. Update 12:617–30
     [Google Scholar]
  161. Szabo N, Dubas JS, Volling BL, van Aken MAG 2017. The effect of paternal and alloparental support on the interbirth interval among contemporary North American families. Evol. Behav. Sci. 11:272–80
     [Google Scholar]
  162. Szegda KL, Whitcomb BW, Purdue-Smithe AC, Boutot ME, Manson JE et al. 2017. Adult adiposity and risk of early menopause. Hum. Reprod. 32:2522–31
     [Google Scholar]
  163. Thiele K, Diao L, Arck PC 2018. Immunometabolism, pregnancy, and nutrition. Semin. Immunopathol. 40:157–74
     [Google Scholar]
  164. Toufexis D, Rivarola MA, Lara H, Viau V 2014. Stress and the reproductive axis. J. Neuroendocrinol. 26:573–86
     [Google Scholar]
  165. Towne B, Czerwinski SA, Demerath EW, Blangero J, Roche AF, Siervogel RM 2005. Heritability of age at menarche in girls from the Fels Longitudinal Study. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 128:210–19
     [Google Scholar]
  166. Treadway CR, Kane FJ Jr, Jarrahi-Zadeh A, Lipton MA 1969. A psychoendocrine study of pregnancy and puerperium. Am. J. Psychiatry 125:1380–86
     [Google Scholar]
  167. Tu MT, Lupien SJ, Walker C-D 2005. Measuring stress responses in postpartum mothers: perspectives from studies in human and animal populations. Stress: Int. J. Biol. Stress 8:19–34
     [Google Scholar]
  168. Tu MT, Lupien SJ, Walker C-D 2006. Multiparity reveals the blunting effect of breastfeeding on physiological reactivity to psychological stress. J. Neuroendocrinol. 18:494–503
     [Google Scholar]
  169. Uvnäs-Moberg K. 1998. Oxytocin may mediate the benefits of positive social interaction and emotions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23:819–35
     [Google Scholar]
  170. Valeggia CR, Ellison PT. 2003. Impact of breastfeeding on anthropometric changes in peri-urban Toba women (Argentina). Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:717–24
     [Google Scholar]
  171. Valeggia CR, Ellison PT. 2009. Interactions between metabolic and reproductive functions in the resumption of postpartum fecundity. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 21:559–66
     [Google Scholar]
  172. van den Berg SM, Boomsma DI 2007. The familial clustering of age at menarche in extended twin families. Behav. Genet. 37:661–67
     [Google Scholar]
  173. Veldhuis JD, Sharma A, Roelfsema F 2013. Age-dependent and gender-dependent regulation of hypothalamic-adrenocorticotropic-adrenal axis. Endocrinol. Metab. Clin. North Am. 42:201–25
     [Google Scholar]
  174. Wada H, Moore IT, Breuner CW, Wingfield JC 2006. Stress responses in tropical sparrows: comparing tropical and temperate Zonotrichia. Physiol. Biochem. Zool 79:784–92
     [Google Scholar]
  175. Walker C-D, Deschamps S, Proulx K, Tu M, Salzman C et al. 2004. Mother to infant or infant to mother? Reciprocal regulation of responsiveness to stress in rodents and the implications for humans. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 29:364–82
     [Google Scholar]
  176. Walker C-D, Trottier G, Rochford J, Lavallée D 1995. Dissociation between behavioral and hormonal responses to the forced swim stress in lactating rats. J. Neuroendocrinol. 7:615–22
     [Google Scholar]
  177. Webster GD, Graber JA, Gesselman AN, Crosier BS, Schember TO 2014. A life history theory of father absence and menarche: a meta-analysis. Evol. Psychol. 12:273–94
     [Google Scholar]
  178. Weiss SL, Johnston G, Moore MC 2007. Corticosterone stimulates hatching of late-term tree lizard embryos. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part A: Mol. Integr. Physiol. 146:360–65
     [Google Scholar]
  179. Wellons M, Ouyang P, Schreiner PJ, Herrington DM, Vaidya D 2012. Early menopause predicts future coronary heart disease and stroke: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Menopause 19:1081–87
     [Google Scholar]
  180. Whirledge S, Cidlowski JA. 2010. Glucocorticoids, stress, and fertility. Minerva Endocrinol 35:109–25
     [Google Scholar]
  181. Worthman CM, Dockray S, Marceau K 2019. Puberty and the evolution of developmental science. J. Res. Adolesc. 29:9–31
     [Google Scholar]
  182. Zhu D, Chung HF, Pandeya N, Dobson AJ, Kuh D et al. 2018. Body mass index and age at natural menopause: an international pooled analysis of 11 prospective studies. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 33:699–710
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102317-045930
Loading
  • Article Type: Review Article

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error