Women who lost their virginity as teenagers are more likely to divorce: study

Women who lost their virginity as young teenagers are more likely to divorce, especially if it was unwanted, according to new research.

The University of Iowa study shows that 31 percent of women who had sex for the first time as teens divorced within five years, and 47 percent within 10 years, dailymail.co. uk reported Wednesday.

Among women who delayed sex until adulthood, 15 percent divorced at five years, compared to 27 percent at 10 years.

The findings were published in the April issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Author Anthony Paik, associate professor of sociology in the university's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, examined the responses of 3,793 married and divorced women to the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, according to the report.

The study showed, however, that if a young woman made the choice to lose her virginity as a teenager, there was no direct link to a marital split later in life.

If the sexual act took place before the age of 16 women were shown more likely to divorce, even if it was wanted.

Thirty-one percent of women who lost their virginity during adolescence had premarital sex with multiple partners, compared to 24 percent of those who waited.