The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, included nearly 15,000 women and was conducted over several decades.
Participants in the study filled out questionnaires in 1975, and their health status, number of births, and family size were monitored from that period until now.
The results revealed that women who gave birth to between two and three children and became pregnant while their ages ranged from 24 to 38 years lived the longest and had the best health. Women who gave birth to four children or more had shorter lifespans and experienced biological aging at a faster rate.
The study also revealed that women who did not give birth at all also aged at a faster rate, with the cause attributed to health or lifestyle factors not addressed by the research.
The study relied on blood analyses and DNA changes of the participants to determine their true biological age.
The study confirmed the results of previous research indicating that having many children makes a woman biologically older compared to her actual age.
Researchers involved in the study stated that these results do not prove a causal relationship between having many children and mortality, and should in no way be considered a standard for making general decisions about childbirth.
