The Benefits of Young Motherhood
— Posted by John (November 22, 2006 at 10:14 am)
An article in today’s Chicago Sun-Times highlights a new study’s finding that children born before their mothers’ 25th birthday have a significantly higher potential for longevity.
I mention this not only because I find the study interesting, but mostly, I must concede, because my beloved wife Jocelyn is quoted in the article. (She’s also pictured, along with our three daughters, in the print edition — the article appears on page 3.)
And, as you’ll see from the article, the cat is out of the bag: We’re expecting our fourth child in May 2007!
Here it is:
Thanks, mom!
Want to live to 100? Having a young mother helps
November 22, 2006
BY JIM RITTER Health Reporter
If your mother was young when you were born, you’re more likely to live to a ripe old age, a University of Chicago study has found.
Children born before their mothers’ 25th birthday were nearly twice as likely to live to 100, the study found.
Husband-and-wife researchers Leonid Gavrilov and Natalia Gavrilova suggested two possible reasons:
• In monthly menstrual cycles, young women ovulate their best eggs first. As women age, their supply of top-quality eggs diminishes and they begin ovulating lower-quality eggs.
• Young women have fewer lifetime exposures to diseases and latent infections that could adversely affect their fetuses.
These days, many women put off children for education, careers and other reasons. Would it be better if they had children earlier?
“That’s a politically charged question,” Gavrilov said. “Our recommendation is to just think about it.”
Jocelyn Jansen of Berwyn had her first child, Teresa, at age 24. “When I was young, my dream was to have children as soon as I got married,” she said.
Jansen quit her job as a special education teacher to have kids. Now 28, she has three children under age 4 and is expecting a fourth. She was pleased to hear of the study’s finding, but added, “I’m not surprised.”
The researchers presented their study at a meeting in Dallas of the Gerontological Society of America. They work at NORC, a national research organization at the U. of C.
The researchers studied Census, Social Security and other records of 198 Americans who were born between 1890 and 1893 and lived to at least 100. For comparison purposes, these centenarians were compared with their siblings.
Birth order not significant
Not everyone wants to live to 100, of course. But everyone wants to be healthy. And to live to 100, “you have to be healthy in your middle years,” Gavrilov said.
Earlier studies found that first-born children are more likely to reach 100 than later-born siblings. But first-born children also tend to have younger mothers.
The new study suggests that the more significant factor is the age of the mother, not the birth order.
Gavrilov said he suspects that being a very young mother might not be good for a child’s longevity. But, he added, the study was not large enough to determine the effect of having a teenaged mom.
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Pansy Moss says:
Congratulations!
In my own experience, older people who have their first do not have the stamina is takes to chase after a child. I know for me, pregnancy was much easier with the three I had in my early twenties compared to the ones I had later. Not healthwise (although with the last two I developed gestational diabetes), just comfort level.
Comment posted November 22nd, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Rosie says:
Do they take into account if, for example, cancer or other diseases run in the family? My family members tend to live longer, but no known diseases run in our family. I guess age of the mother at birth could also be a factor but it seems people we a bit tougher back then, mentally anyway. I think there are so many factors to consider. It is a good theory though.
Comment posted November 22nd, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Joe says:
“But, he added, the study was not large enough to determine the effect of having a teenaged mom.”
If it wasn’t large enough to determine that, then I would suspect its validity at all.
Comment posted November 22nd, 2006 at 5:49 pm
lauren says:
CRAP! i Better open my legs soon and get to reproducing! I dont want to make my kids die too soon!
Comment posted November 25th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
mary kay says:
A little hung over from too much partying Lauren? You sound a little testy…
Ahhhh…memories….Thanksgiving break…drink lots of water! Get back to us when you’re feeling better.
MK
Comment posted November 26th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
lauren says:
I didn’t party at all this weekend sadly.. Too much homework and my boyfriend and I are rehabbing the house. I know, I know we’re going to hell.. haha. No seriously this place is a ratpit currently as I call it. We are totally gutting the place. It’s fun because it will be the way we want it to be and it’s good bonding for him and I. My life is now consumed with “doing demolition”, painting, sanding, scraping and throwing things into a dumpster. FuN!
I was wondering today as I was making myself lunch, how come you never talk about your husband MK?
Comment posted November 26th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
mary kay says:
Lauren,
What would you have me say about him? He puts up with me (no small task) and believes what I believe. We both attend mass, take an hour a week at the adoration chapel, practice NFP, share chores, struggle to send our kids to Catholic schools…
He’s bald, over-weight, out of shape, funny, kind, honest, generous, slow to anger, quick to forgive, brings me flowers for no reason, makes coffee in the morning, brings me tea at night, says thank you everytime I cook dinner, loves our children (even the twenty-somethings, and we know how unlovable you guys can be), takes out the garbage, let’s me have 2 dogs, and tells me he’s “crazy about me” 20 times a day (to which I reply “yeah, yeah, I’m crazy too).
It’s been twenty six years and I can finally say that I have loved him. I thought I loved him back then, but now I know I do. We’ve both changed and grown so much in this marriage that you wouldn’t recognize us from twenty some years ago. And yet the love has grown and gotten stronger. I can’t imagine life without him. At our wedding everybody kept shaking his hand and saying “You’ll never be bored…” He hasn’t been. When we first got married we would joke that I was like some crazy out of control bird and he was the rock that I was tethered to. He still is. Thank God. And right now, he is asking why the heck I’m still up…I told him I was writing to my surrogate daughter. He laughed and told me to go to bed. Then he said he was crazy about me…and on it goes. Til death do us part…and maybe then some.
MK
Comment posted November 26th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
mary kay says:
Lauren,
I apologize for accusing you of partying…the boys were home from college this weekend and my mothering instincts were in high gear. I know all about rehabbing. This is our third house. I’ve painted every room in it since June, and remodeled the kitchen. Good luck. Go have a cold one. You probably deserve it.
MK
Comment posted November 26th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
lauren says:
Awww I loved that profile of your husband MK! It was so sweet!! I’m a diehard romantic… When Harry Met Sally and all those romantic movies make me cry! I’m sure you’ve seen that movie! You reminded me of the vignettes (sp?) where the couples talk about their relationship and how long they’ve been together. I hope my boyfriend and I have half of what you have. You are very lucky
I think it’s Chili’s night for us. I dont drink that much, maybe once every couple weeks. Maybe I’ll take your suggestion and have a cap n’ diet tonight. You’re right–I need it!
Comment posted November 27th, 2006 at 11:42 am
mary kay says:
Lauren,
“I hope my boyfriend and I have half of what you have.”
I hope you do too. From the bottom of my heart, I do. I hope you have twice as much.
MK
Comment posted November 27th, 2006 at 2:56 pm