Relationships3 min(s) read
Published 10:25 23 Jun 2026 GMT
The age you lost your virginity at can have a massive impact on how well you age, according to new research.
For most people, losing their virginity is a milestone in adolescence which - as long as it's over the age of consent and with a trusted partner - isn't something they give much thought to in later life.
However, new research suggests that it could have a bigger impact on your long-term life than previously believed.
Scientists from China’s Shandong University surveyed almost 400,000 people from Britain on the age they lost their virginity, to see if it had any correlation to how they aged, and found some striking patterns.
According to their results, those who first had sex at a young age were more at risk of several issues with aging, including frailty, miserableness, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, per the Daily Mail.
Lead author Kaixian Wang explained: "Our findings suggest that the timing of first sexual intercourse may be connected to aging through multiple psychological, behavioral, and disease-related pathways."
Wang clarified: "Nonetheless, our findings do not mean a single behavior determines a person's future health.
"Instead, they highlight how early-life experiences may cluster with mental health challenges, chronic disease risks, and functional decline over time."
Previous studies have, perhaps unsurprisingly, found that losing your virginity at a younger age is also associated with a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Discussing the long-term effects, researchers explained in the study, published in Healthcare and Rehabilitation: "Aging, as the terminal event of the life course, encompasses physiological function decline, chronic disease accumulation, and changes in health status.
"However, whether AFS [age at first sexual intercourse] has a causal impact on aging remains unclear."
In order to rule out other conditions that would be apparent regardless of the age of first sexual intercourse, researchers compared the participants' answer to their genetic predisposition to ageing outcomes, including sedentary behaviour, cognitive performance, frailty, and vision and hearing.
The results showed an apparent link between the age the participants first had sex and several aging factors, as Wang explained: "Frailty index, miserableness, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder appeared to play especially important roles."
Though the link is unclear, researchers shared several theories on why this may be the case, suggesting: "This may be attributed to elevated risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, and physical health conditions during adolescence and adulthood, which are closely linked to earlier sexual intercourse, and can significantly compromise life expectancy and elevate aging-related vulnerabilities."
Corresponding author Long Sun called for better sexual education worldwide, adding: 'Prevention and intervention across the life course may help reduce later health disadvantages and promote healthier aging.
"Our findings further affirm the value of early sexual health education and broader support for adolescents who may be at higher risk."
It comes after a recent YouGov poll revealed that the average age for people in Britain to lose their virginity is 17, with a concerning 3% of the 2,588 Britons surveyed claiming they'd first had sex aged 13 or younger. Around 5% of those surveyed said they were over 25 when they lost their virginity.
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