I'm pushing 40, and am finally really ready to have a baby. In my 20s I didn't want kids, in my 30s I started to see the wonder and miracle of having babies, and now I'm hoping to be pregnant within the next month or two! Though that itself may be miraculous...
Having a Baby in Your 40s Equals a Longer Life
According to the University of Utah, women how have babies naturally in the 40s or 50s tend to live longer than other women (it may be different for women coping with infertility and using in vitro fertilization or other solutions for infertility).
“If women in your family give birth at older ages, you may well have a chance of living longer than you would otherwise,” says the study’s lead author, Ken Smith, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. “If you have a female relative who had children after age 45, then there may be some genetic benefit in your family that will enhance your longevity.”
Heredity - far more than environmental factors - plays a role in prolonged fertility and longer lifespans.
Having a baby after age 45?! This study shows that women who had “late fertility” - a birth at age 45 or older - were 14 to 17% less likely to die during any year after age 50 than women who did not deliver a child after age 40. Smith says scientists believe genes account for up to 25% of differences in longevity.
Other studies found that late menopause also is associated with
women having prolonged fertility and longevity. So the later your
menopause is, the longer you may live! And the more chances you
have to conceive a baby (especially important if you’re coping with
unknown infertility, or are trying other ways to get pregnant).
To read the rest, go to
The Benefits of Having a Baby in Your 40s .
