It is common knowledge that some women hit puberty before others; researchers have now uncovered the first genetic evidence to explain differences in length of women’s fertility.
Women go through their first menstruation cycle between the ages of 9 and 16, and the variations in the LIN28B gene can be held accountable for a portion of these differences. For instance, one study found that Icelandic girls with two genetic letter Ts at a spot near LIN28B experience menarche 2.4 months earlier, on average, than girls with two Cs at that site.
In humans, LIN28B seems to be involved in variations in adult height, as well. This helps explain why women who go through menarche later are taller than women who have their first cycle at a younger age.
Genes also play a role in menopause, and two research teams have identified several gene variants associated with advancing or delaying menopause by as much as two years. However these genes influence over only a small portion of the possible age range of menopause (which is 40 – 60 years)
Original Article
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17141-puberty-gene-sets-our-sexual-clocks.html
Luke Vasanthakumar (41718483)
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