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Human Reproduction, Vol. 19, No. 2, 445-447, February 2004
© 2004 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Communication

Effects of season of birth on reproduction in contemporary humans: Brief communication

S. Huber1,2,7, M. Fieder3,4, B. Wallner4,5, K. Iber3 and G. Moser3,6

1 Department of Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, 2 Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, 3 Rector’s Office, University of Vienna, Vienna, 4 Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, 5 Office of Evaluation and Controlling, University of Vienna, Vienna and 6 Department of Internal Medicine IV, University of Vienna, AKH, Vienna, Austria

7 To whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: susanne.huber{at}vu-wien.ac.at

BACKGROUND: At high latitudes the external environment varies with season, and therefore the season of birth may contribute to the developmental processes during the perinatal period. METHODS: We investigated the association between birth season and measures of reproductive performance (offspring count, percentage childless individuals) in a contemporary sample of women and men. RESULTS: In the male sample (n = 2342), men born in autumn had fewer offspring (mean 1.4 versus 1.62; P < 0.01) and a higher probability of remaining childless (32.6% versus 25.6%; P = 0.01) than men born in spring. The photoperiod at a male’s birth was significantly positively correlated with his subsequent offspring count (P = 0.023). In the female sample, an association between birth season and reproduction was not found. CONCLUSIONS: We assume that in men, among other seasonal factors, pre- or perinatal photoperiod might be involved in the underlying physiological mechanism.

Key words: fertility rate/offspring count/photoperiod/reproduction/season


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