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Could consanguineous marriage provide a cultural alleviation for the obstetric dilemma?

Wells, JCK; (2020) Could consanguineous marriage provide a cultural alleviation for the obstetric dilemma? Medical Hypotheses , 134 , Article 109424. 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109424. Green open access

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Abstract

In placental mammals, a poor fit between the physical dimensions of the fetus and maternal pelvis increases the likelihood of obstructed labour. This problem is especially relevant to humans, as our species demonstrates both unique adaptations in pelvic shape and structure associated with bipedalism, and fetal encephalization. Natural selection is expected to have favoured adaptations that reduce the chances of such mismatch within individual mother-offspring dyads. Here, I hypothesise that the cultural practice of consanguineous marriage may have been favoured, on account of increasing the genetic similarity between mothers and offspring and hence the correlation between maternal and fetal physical dimensions. These benefits could be amplified if consanguineous marriage was accompanied by assortative mating for height. An additional benefit of consanguineous marriage for childbirth is the slight reduction in birth size of such offspring compared to non-consanguineous unions. Although the offspring of consanguineous unions have elevated risks of morbidity and mortality, these risks are moderate and the practice could still have been favoured by selection if the reduction in maternal mortality was greater than the increased mortality among individual offspring. This hypothesis could be tested directly by investigating whether rates of obstructed labour are lower in individuals and populations practising consanguineous marriage. At a broader level, phylogenetic analysis could be conducted to test whether consanguineous marriage appears to have originated in the areas where intensive agriculture was first practiced, as adult height typically fell in such populations, potentially exacerbating the risk of obstructed labour.

Type: Article
Title: Could consanguineous marriage provide a cultural alleviation for the obstetric dilemma?
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109424
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109424
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Childbirth, Consanguinity, Human evolution, Obstetrical dilemma, Obstructed labour
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10084997
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