Children With This Type Of Mom Shockingly Don't Live As Long

Yet another factor to freak out about, parents.

By Nicole Weaver — Written on Sep 01, 2021

Photo: Minnikova Mariia / Shutterstock

Many ladies put off motherhood to finish their education, get a leg up in their career, and just enjoy the freedom of being child-free.

But then there are cons to waiting too long. It's occasionally harder to get pregnant, and the more time you wait is the less time you get to spend with the little one.

But scientists have found another con of waiting to have kids: older moms may have children that won't live as long.

A 2014 study found that mothers' and babies' bodies are linked in a very interesting way.

Researchers took 200 years worth of data from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and compared the lives of babies of women younger than 31 to those who are older.

The results showed that the younger the mother is, the longer the baby will live.

What is the cause of this? Do younger mothers have more of a life force to pass on to their kids?

Well, basically. Children inherit mitochondria cells that generate energy from their mothers. The older the mother is when she's pregnant, the more damaged her mitochondria will be, which can lead to health struggles when they become adults.

A 2018 study conducted by Canadian researchers found that children, especially boys, are at risk for more heart problems when they are born to an older mother. This study really looked into the effects of women having babies after the age of 35.

In this study, they used rats with the equivalent age to a 35-year-old woman, and they monitored their babies. At four months old, the babies' heart and blood vessel functions were tested.

The study found that the male babies of the older rats had signs of a weaker cardiovascular system than females. They also found that male rats also recovered from cardiac ischemia at a slower rate.

This study is going to lead to research into how actual children are affected by being born to older parents.

There are still studies that need to be conducted on actual children that would need to be monitored into their adulthood to accurately calculate the true effects of being born to an older mom.

So, that's another thing women need to think about when weighing out options for having a baby. As if they needed more!

But there is no rush. Some studies have found that babies born to mothers at the age of 35 and older are just fine.

According to the Pew Research Center, American women are waiting until later in life to have children. This is a defining moment for most women because women have had a chance to gain an education and obtain a solid career.