Only a woman's body is such that can give birth to a child. But this natural process is associated with a lot of discomfort, pain, body changes, and sacrifices. Although everyone knows these truths related to pregnancy, yet the revelations in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences are shocking.
Studies have found that pregnancy accelerates aging in women. This may especially apply to women who become mothers at an early age.
1735 women were included in the study
This study was conducted by researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, New York on 1735 women living in the Philippines. The reproductive history and DNA samples of these women were examined. Through this study, it was found out what effect having children has on women's bodies.
Biological age increased after pregnancy
Research on 825 young women included in the study revealed that with every pregnancy, a woman's biological age can increase by two to three months. These women were monitored for six years and it was found that the more times women became pregnant, the faster their biological age increased.
What is biological age?
A person has two ages. First chronological age – It is related to the existence of the person. That means the length of time you have been alive is your chronological age. Second biological age – it tells how old your cells are.
These things became the reason
This effect was not seen in the men, i.e. fathers, included in the study. From this, it can be inferred that this effect is related only to pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Younger women are more affected
Callan Ryan, a research scientist at the Columbia Aging Center, says, "Our study shows that pregnancy can increase biological age, and this effect is more pronounced in women who have more children at a younger age. Our study is the first "This is a study that establishes a relationship between changes in the number of pregnancies women have over time and changes in their biological age."
