Pregnancy is not only a crucial turning point in a woman's life but on top of that, she can affect her health for a variety of reasons and in many ways. It all depends on when the pregnancy takes place and the conditions under which the delivery could take place. But experts in fertility seem to have discovered a fact that can make us aware of the importance of the age at which a woman gives birth to her first baby.
While the average age of maternity in the UK is 30, which is also the case in France, fertility experts have always tried to prevent women from delaying pregnancy as this could drastically reduce their chances of conceiving. But a new study by scientists at the University of Coimbra in Portugal would be able to bring good news to older mothers, reassuring them at the same time.
What is the relationship between the first pregnancy and the longevity of a woman?
The researchers looked at data related to the life expectancy of mothers, over 60 in more than one European country and the age when they had their first child.
And according to an article in the Journal of Public Health, women who became mothers later in life were more likely to live longer than those who had the first birth in their twenties. The study's report also emphasizes that the longer a woman delays pregnancy, the more likely she is to see her longevity increased, especially for the very first child.
Another study published in the Menopause Journal also demonstrated that mothers who gave birth at age 33 or older were three times more likely to have longevity DNA markers compared to those who had a pregnancy. that they were younger. Knowing that none of the two studies we have cited gives any explanation of the factor that makes a woman live longer if she starts to have children at a relatively late age.
Lord Winston, a fertility expert, thinks that this can be explained by the fact that women who have children later usually tend to be better off and educated. As a result, they have a longer life expectancy because they can access healthier lifestyles and more appropriate care. Which means that in the end, the relationship between childbirth and female longevity is rather indirect.
But there is the other side of the coin
The average age at which a woman becomes a mother in the United Kingdom and France is 30 years old. Knowing that one in 25 births in the United Kingdom involves women over the age of 40. In France, these "late" deliveries occur in 1 in 20 women, which means that these cases are more frequent.
But the reality of these pregnancies pushed back to an advanced age makes that specialists in the field of fertility have always warned women who wanted to postpone their first pregnancy as far as possible by explaining to them that they were likely to end up without offspring, the chances of conception of a baby being higher during the twenties and consequently more and more reduced beyond.
Dr. Geeta Nargund, Chief Fertility Professor at the UK National Health Service, emphasized that Britain is now facing what she called a "time bomb of fertility" because many Many women are unaware of the risks and complications involved in late pregnancy.
