The most special and beautiful moment in every woman’s life is when she gives birth to a child and raises it. But after the birth of a child, women often leave themselves behind and are unable to pay attention to their health and care.
Still, she takes out some time for herself and continues to groom herself. But recently revealed research has made a shocking claim: ‘The lifespan of a mother can decrease after giving birth to a child.’ Anyone would be surprised to hear this. Research has revealed many interesting and surprising facts on this topic. Let us know how true this claim is and what science says about it.
Does age really decrease?
You might have heard somewhere that the lifespan of women reduces after giving birth to a child. This may sound strange, but some records show that the expected life expectancy of women who give birth in difficult circumstances can be reduced by about six months. That means their ‘life expectancy’ decreases. The biggest impact was seen in those women who became mothers amidst extremely difficult circumstances like famine, poverty, poor health facilities.
What came out in the research?
The results that emerged in the research were surprising. Scientists working on human evolution studied the records of 4,684 women from the time of the Great Finland Famine of 1866–1868. Researchers Dr. Yuan Yang, Prof. Hannah Dugdale, Prof. Virpi Looma and Dr. Eric Postma found that the life expectancy of women who gave birth during the famine decreased by about six months with each child. However, no such effect was seen in women who became mothers before or after the famine. This clearly shows that the difficult conditions and bad environment of that time had a deep impact on a woman’s health, strength and lifespan.
What do experts say?
Experts say that when conditions are extremely bad such as famine, malnutrition or extreme stress, women’s bodies spend most of their energy in conceiving and giving birth to a child. This weakens the body’s ability to repair, protect and rebuild cells, which increases the risk of diseases and may also reduce the chances of longevity. Dr. Yang explains that the age-reduction effect was seen only in women who were of reproductive age during the famine. This clearly indicates that environment and circumstances have a deep impact on the body and age of women who become mothers.
Does becoming a mother always affect age?
Today’s conditions are much better than before. Better nutrition, modern medical facilities and maternal health programs are available to women. Still, the pressure on the body during motherhood does not reduce completely. This can lead to an increased risk of heart disease in women, metabolic problems, and increased weight and stress. All of these factors can affect a woman’s long-term health and lifespan.
More impact on more children?
According to research, the effect of reducing age was more clearly seen in women who gave birth to many children. This suggests that back-to-back pregnancies, especially in difficult and conflict-ridden environments, place additional stress on a woman’s body and can impact health and longevity in the long run.
Do these results apply today?
Scientists say that this research is based on two hundred years old data, hence caution is necessary before applying it to today’s world. According to the global average, by 2023, a woman will be giving birth to an average of 2.1 children, which is much less than before. Yet maternal health still faces similar challenges in many poor and difficult areas of the world today. Therefore this research may be relevant even today.