Women who have children before the age of 20 could be putting a strain on their hearts.
In a new study, those who had gotten pregnant as a teenager were at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease later in life than women who had babies later on or didn’t have them at all.
The risk was apparent in postmenopausal women in the study, which was recently published in the Journal of American Heart Association.
Researchers looked at 1,000 women aged between 64 and 75 from Brazil, Colombia, Canada and Albania and found that those who started their families before turning 20 were more likely to suffer with cardiovascular issues.
The reasons for this weren’t fully clear, though social conditions rather than the physical effect of giving birth at a young age could be to blame.
The study showed that the women who had children younger were more likely to come from lower-income background, meaning they might not have consistent access to quality healthcare.
“Having an adolescent birth often denies women the opportunity for education and career development, which may lead to greater stress and financial adversities,” said Dr JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine and women’s health at Harvard Medical School.
“We need a deeper evaluation of the prevalence of cigarette smoking, lack of physical exercise, poor diet, as well as psychosocial stressors.”
