Why having a baby can help you live longer

INFERTILITY increases a woman’s chance of dying early by 10%, compared to women who have had children, a new study has revealed.

Having fertility problems also raises the chance of getting breast cancer by 43% – and increases the chances of dying from diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania monitored the health records and status of nearly 80,000 women for the study.

Women were classed as having fertility problems if they had reported being unable to conceive for one year or greater.

Their report suggests that having children protects women from dying prematurely, and giving birth has a ‘rejuvenating effect’ on a woman’s body.

During the 13-year project period, 11,006 women – 14.5% of the total – reported infertility.

Most women were alive at the end of the study – and of those who died in each group, the average age of death was 74.

Dr Natalie Stentz, of the University of Pennsylvania and the lead author, said of the study: ‘While associations between infertility and medical disease have been noted in the male population, the relationship between a woman’s fertility and her overall health has not been as robustly examined.

‘Reassuringly, a history of infertility was not associated with an increased risk of dying from ovarian cancer or endometrial cancer.

‘The study raises the question of whether it is infertility itself, or underlying conditions, that predisposes an individual to infertility that drives the increased risk that we noted.

‘It highlights the fact that a history of infertility is related to women’s lifelong health and opens potential opportunities for screening or preventative management for infertile women.

‘One of the things we do know is that having a baby at some point in a woman’s life is protective for health.’