DID YOU KNOW?

Giving birth “ages a woman by 11 years”

Women who have given birth have shorter telomeres, the end caps of DNA on our chromosomes, which get shorter over time. The shorter your telomeres the shorter your life, but this is the first study to examine links with having children.

It turns out telomeres among women who have children are the equivalent of 11 years shorter, a change larger than has been reported for smoking or obesity. Dr Anna Pollack, the study’s lead author, said: “We can’t tell if having children is related to shortening of telomeres or merely whether women who have children start out with shorter telomeres.

“Additional factors to consider include stress and social support, as well as whether similar findings are seen in men.

“These findings are preliminary and should be confirmed with prospective studies.”