Motherhood impacts your biological clock. Unveil the scientific reason why having 2-3 children may lead to a longer life.
Recent research reveals a hidden link between women’s reproductive history and life expectancy. Women with 2 or 3 children who delivered between 24-38 demonstrated extended longevity.
In contrast, having more than four kids or none was connected with accelerated biological aging (Epigenetic clock) due to body’s energy trade-offs, leading to shorter lifespan.(1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Epigenetic aging and lifespan reflect reproductive history in the Finnish Twin Cohort
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The study led by University of Helsinki and the Minerva Foundation Institute correlate the findings with evolutionary biology’s life history theory, which indicates that body redirects energy away from cellular repair when reproductive demands are high.
Therefore, ideal pregnancy timings and number of children matter most for a healthy aging and longer life. The research was published in the Nature Communications.
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“From an evolutionary biology perspective, organisms have limited resources such as time and energy. When a large amount of energy is invested in reproduction, it is taken away from bodily maintenance and repair mechanisms, which could reduce lifespan,” explains doctoral researcher Mikaela Hukkanen, who conducted the study.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the study also found that childless women showed faster aging than women with a few children. This result may be explained by other lifestyle or health-related factors whose effects could not be fully controlled for in the analyses.
The research group emphasizes that the findings apply only at the population level. They do not demonstrate cause–effect relationships, nor do they provide a basis for individual recommendations for women of reproductive age.
For example, family size has decreased and the age at first birth has increased compared with the period covered by the study.
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“An individual woman should therefore not consider changing her own plans or wishes regarding children based on these findings,” says the study lead, Dr. Miina Ollikainen.
The potential evolutionary trade-off between reproduction and lifespan has interested researchers since the early 20th century, but numerous studies on the topic have produced conflicting results.
A novel aspect of this study was that aging was also measured biologically. Epigenetic clocks were determined from blood samples from more than one thousand participants. Epigenetic clocks aim to measure biological aging—that is, the gradual deterioration of cells and tissues. With such methods, aging-related changes can be detected years or even decades before death.
Reproductive Timing and Family Size Determine Your Internal Rate of Aging
The results supported earlier conclusions based on mortality data. According to the epigenetic clocks, women who had either many children or no children at all were biologically somewhat older than their chronological age.
“A person who is biologically older than their calendar age is at a higher risk of death. Our results show that life history choices leave a lasting biological imprint that can be measured long before old age,” says Miina Ollikainen.
“In some of our analyses, having a child at a young age was also associated with biological aging. This too may relate to evolutionary theory, as natural selection may favor earlier reproduction that entails shorter overall generation times, even if it entails health-related costs associated with aging.”
Reference:
- Epigenetic aging and lifespan reflect reproductive history in the Finnish Twin Cohort – (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67798-y)
Source-Eurekalert