close
Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Mar:119:104659.
doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104659. Epub 2020 Jan 8.

A short review of biological research on the development of sexual orientation

Anthony F Bogaert  1 , Malvina N Skorska  2
Affiliations
Free article
Review

A short review of biological research on the development of sexual orientation

Anthony F Bogaert et al. Horm Behav. 2020 Mar.
Free article

Abstract

We review research supporting biological mechanisms in the development of sexual orientation. This research includes studies on neural correlates, prenatal hormones and related physical/behavioral correlates, genetics, and the fraternal birth order effect (FBOE). These studies, taken together, have provided substantial support for biological influences underlying the development of sexual orientation, but questions remain unanswered, including how biological mechanisms may differ in contributing to men's and women's sexual orientation development.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Fraternal birth order effect; Genetics; Neurodevelopment; Prenatal hormones; Sexual orientation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest None.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources