According to Jenny Pettay, University of Turku, Finland, waiting to bear children may add some years to a woman’s lifespan. This evolutionary biologist examined 5,000 birth records from four different generations; those of the 17th and 18th century Finns and discovered that women who waited the most before having their first baby were, according to statistics, more likely to live longer. This delay before bearing a child seems to pass on form generations; women whose mothers conceived late also tended to become late mothers in their turn. (Late is defined as being after 30 years old.)
Researches conducted in the past have also demonstrated that women who delayed having children enjoyed an increased lifespan. However, none of these studies was able to establish whether the prolonged lifespan was due to cultural factors like better conditions of living or a higher socioeconomic class. In order to shed light on these issues, Pettay studied women that were from a homogeneous society and who were deprived from contraception facilities or advanced medical care.
In spite of this, Pettay is of view that it is in fact the culture and not the genes that explain why Westerners tend to postpone their age for parenthood. She further explains that in modern society, the number of children per couple tends to be low; therefore natural selection is not at work. However, this study suggests that there may be advantages associated to a late motherhood that evolved to cancel out the decline in total fertility years, for instance, living more so as to provide care to grandchildren.
Source: Discover Magazine
Wed, Apr 21, 2010
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Products, Longevity