IF there weren’t enough societal pressures to pop a baby out already, scientists claim to have discovered the best age to give birth to avoid an early grave.

And it may not be what you think.

Women have their first child anywhere from their teenage years to mid-40s.

According to research, those on either end of the extremes may be more likely to end up with potentially deadly health problems. 

The latest study, led by the University of Seoul, studied more than 4,000 Korean women.

They had enrolled in a study in the early 2000s when they were aged 52, on average. 

Women were asked when they had their first child and put into three categories: under 23 years old, 24 to 25 years old, and over 26 years old.

They were followed up for around 18 years, to 2018, to see how mortality rates compared between them.

The younger and older mums were at greater risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) – including heart disease and strokes  – than first-time mums in their mid-20s, the study found.

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This suggests the perfect age to bear your first child is 25 years old. 

An age band beyond the 26-year mark was not studied because not enough participants fit into this group for the results to be reliable.

The average age of a first-time mum in Korea is around 31 years old – as it is in the UK, too.

However, previous studies on the same topic have found the same trends, the research team wrote in the journal Maturitas.

One study found that new mums under 24, and those aged between 28 and 32 and beyond, faced worse outcomes than those in their mid-20s. 

What’s the problem?

The researchers said that the younger women, who had their first baby as young as 16 years old, may have seen disruption to their education or career.

This, they said, could lead to poor health as a result of socio-economic disadvantages.

It was also discussed that young mums struggle more with obesity because of the impact of pregnancy-related weight gain on their bodies, and depression.

These may both contribute to the odds of developing killer cardiovascular diseases, the paper said.

For women over the age of 26, the researchers said a combined set of factors could lead to heart disease risk in their later years.

In general terms, they may not be able to bounce back as well as younger mums, for example recovery in fitness after childbirth.

They are likely to face a “double burden” of work and childcare, the researchers said, which could lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices linked to disease, such as lack of exercise and poor diet.

The stress of motherhood and career could raise blood pressure (hypertension).

“Hypertension due to a high BMI and a lack of physical activity is a major risk factor that has the greatest effect on CVD,” the researchers said. 

The study analysed whether older mums were more likely to die early simply because they already had a higher risk of high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy.

These pregnancy complications can cause long-lasting hormonal changes.

But this could not explain the findings, suggesting there are other factors at play. 

The researchers said their findings could be important given that women are increasingly leaving kids to a later age to focus on other areas of their life. 

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