Babies Born to Older Moms May Be Healthier, Says Study
This one’s for you, moms over 35. A recent study says that children born to older mothers are less likely to develop diseases as they age.
For the study, researchers compared the health of 18,000 adults born to woman of two age ranges: 25 to 34 years old and 35 to 44 years old. After 10 years of evaluation, researchers found that children born to mothers over 35 were just as likely to develop disease as their counterparts.
Researchers did notice, however, that those born to younger moms had more health issues than others. They found that people born to women ages 20 to 24 suffered from five percent more diseases than those born to mothers ages 25 and older. The statistic was worse for those born to mother under the age of 19 — an alarming 15 percent!
Lead researcher Mikko Myrskylä of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany notes that while older mothers do have a higher risk of miscarriage, they are not higher risk for carrying diseases. We find this particularly interesting, since the older moms we know are often considered high-risk during pregnancy and worry about how their age could affect their babies. And one recent study suggested that babies born to older dads were more likely to have autism and other diseases.
“With respect to adult age, early births appear to be more dangerous for children than late ones,” Myrskylä says.
Were you the child of an older parent? What do you think of the study?
Plus more from The Bump:
More Older Women are Getting Pregnant – Younger Women, Not So Much
Men Have a Biological Clock Too, But Why is That a Good Thing?
Getting Pregnant in Your Late 30s
The Knot Blog
The Nest Blog
I wonder if this is because older moms tend to have more planned pregnancies and so they take their vitamins and are more diligent about their health before and during pregnancy?
I believe the same theory, T.
that’s what I was thinking too- perhaps people who are older are just more likely to be more prepared for a child, in many ways.
Too bad I can’t have anymore. I would love to have a child with my husband, and our age difference according to this article would be awesome. I’m 44 and he’s 34.
I’m sorry but this is really poorly written and misleading. I’m not sure why women over 35 should be excited by this article. Perhaps reading the actual study will have some insight.
I’m sorry but this article is poorly written and misleading/confusing. Is the study about 2 age groups 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 or 4 age groups? Adding 20 to 24 and 19 and under to the list. And “After 10 years of evaluation, researchers found that children born to mothers over 35 were just as likely to develop disease as their counterparts.” How is this reassuring to women over 35? And what the heck does fathers and autism have to do with anything? Is it included in the study?
Sorry to be so negative but after reading this piece 3 times I consulted my partner [who's a scientist] to determine if I was misunderstanding the language or if this was indeed poorly constructed. He confirmed the latter. I don’t think it’s prudent to publish things with such an optimistic headline if nothing in the article actually backs up such a claim. I know this isn’t CNN, but even the Bump should be careful about wording and citation. There are plenty of women over 35 who are worried about the effect their age might have on the health of their offspring, giving them good facts and data cited properly would be fantastic at keeping them informed. This just muddies the waters.
I am 35 yrs old and I’m just six weeks from delivering my baby girl. Now I am freaking out!! The father is 46. And I am now scared about autism. I have been a little scared throughout my pregnancy because of my age, but I never even thought about the age of the father. All I can do is pray. Everyone reading this please say a prayer for me. I would greatly appreciate it. I’m a scared mama! Thanks Amy
I gave birth to my daugther when my husband and I were both 43 years old. My little girl is now 20 months old, healthy and happy.