Delaying Childbirth May Extend Life of Women, Research Suggests

Among fruit flies, females that delay reproducing until later in life live the longest, and scientists have long wondered if the same holds true for humans. New data in today’s Nature suggest it might.

Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands studied British aristocracy, for which there are extensive genealogical records, some dating back more than 1,200 years. They found that age at first childbirth was lowest in women who died early and highest in those who were the oldest when they died. But the findings held only for those women who had the smallest number of children.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II