New research suggests that women who have children later in the lives may live to a greater age.
In a study of 462 women, researchers found that women who had their last child naturally after the age of 33 were twice as likely to live to be 95 or older compared with women who had their last child by age 29.
Researchers believe the gene that allows women to have children at a more advanced age is the same one that slows the rate of aging and decreases the risk of age related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.
Thomas Perls, a professor at Boston University Medical Center who lead the study mentioned Halle Berry as someone who may have these genes.
‘She thought she was going through menopause and she didn’t understand why she had to keep changing her dress size,’ he said of the actress, who had her second child at the age of 46.
While older mums might be able to look forward to a longer life, Prof Pearls stressed that the study did not look into any congenital problems in the women surveyed, and warned that the findings should not be taken as a reason for women to purposely delay having children.
Doctors usually advise potential mothers that the risk of congenital problems increases with age.