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This is the best time to have a baby

This is the best time to have a baby
Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty

Janet Jackson gave birth to her first child at the age of 50, igniting a fierce debate about the ideal age of a mother.

Complications associated with pregnancies for women over the age of 35 are many, including a greater risk of bleeding and, in worse cases miscarriage.

However, a new study conducted by the University of Southern California have found that having a baby after the age of 35 might be beneficial to the mother.

Researchers found that, of the 830 postmenopausal women studied, women who conceived after 35 had better verbal memory and cognition.

This was the case, too, when researchers compared women who had their first baby after 24, rather than between the ages of 15 and 24.

Why are older mothers mentally sharper?

According to the study, increases in the hormones oestrogen and progesterone - which have a positive impact on brain chemistry and function – are more beneficial to older women, thus improving their mental abilities.

HT Brightside

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