Investigating genetic links between biological aging and adverse pregnancy outcomes

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#humans #female #pregnancy #aging #pregnancy-outcome

Investigating genetic links between biological aging and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Sun et al., 2025 | Biogerontology | Meta Analysis

Citation

Sun Ning, Yang Kaiyan, ... Zhou Wenbo. Investigating genetic links between biological aging and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Biogerontology. 2025-Feb-07;26(2):56. doi:10.1007/s10522-025-10198-y

Abstract

Observational studies suggest a link between biological aging and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), but causal relationships remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between genetically predicted biological aging traits and APOs. Genetic summary statistics from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the IEU open GWAS, FinnGen, and meta-analysis were analyzed using Mendelian randomization (MR) to infer causality. Biological aging indicators included facial aging, frailty index, and epigenetic aging markers. APOs included gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HTP), preterm birth (PTB), and pregnancy loss (PL). The primary MR analyses utilized the inverse variance weighted method, followed by sensitivity analyses. Reverse MR and multivariable MR were employed to explore reverse causality and potential mediating effects. We found that the frailty index was positively associated with GDM (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.44-2.77, P = 3.41E - 5), HTP (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.33-3.29, P = 0.001), and PL (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.46, P = 0.023) risks. Inverse MR showed that susceptibility to HTP (β = 0.05, 95% CI 0.03-0.07, P = 4.43E - 6) and PL (β = 0.06, 95% CI 0.01-0.11, P = 0.011) was positively correlated with the frailty index, while PTB was positively correlated with PhenoAge (β = 0.24, 95% CI 0.02-0.46, P = 0.035). Our findings suggest a genetic association between the frailty index and susceptibility to GDM, HTP, and PL. Closer monitoring of biological aging indicators during pregnancy may be necessary to prevent APOs.

Key Findings

Closer monitoring of biological aging indicators during pregnancy may be necessary to prevent APOs.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition diabetes

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Female
  • Pregnancy
  • Aging
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Mendelian Randomization Analysis
  • Pregnancy Complications
  • Diabetes, Gestational

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis
  • Vertical: 5-htp

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09