Health risk of having more than 2 children

MOST parents will agree that children raise their stress levels, but now it appears that having more than two can damage a mother’s health.

The more children a woman has, the greater the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, according to a study led by Cambridge University.

Those with five or more children were 40 per cent more likely to have a serious heart attack in the next 30 years compared to women with one or two children. Pregnancy and labour put strain on the heart, while children are stressful and stop mothers looking after themselves properly, the researchers suggest.

Dr Clare Oliver-Williams, who led the research, funded by the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘We don’t want to add to the stress people have in their everyday lives but want to equip them with the knowledge to do something about it.’

Scientists from Cambridge and North Carolina studied data from more than 8,000 women from the United States, who were aged between 45 and 64.

Having five or more children was also associated with a 30 per cent increased risk of heart disease, the major cause of heart attacks. They were a quarter (25 per cent) more likely to have a stroke and almost a sixth (17 per cent) more likely to have heart failure than mothers of one or two. Women who had between three and four children were more likely to have serious health implications, but the most significant increase was in those with five or more.

Dr Oliver-Williams said: ‘We all know it’s hard to take care of your health when you have children, but hopefully this research can help show how important it is and, perhaps, having children can provide some extra motivation.’