Why early puberty and pregnancy may shorten women’s lifespans
Girls who experience puberty before age 11 or women who give birth before age 21 are at a significantly higher risk of developing age-related diseases.
What you need to know:
- Early puberty or pregnancy may double women’s risk of age-related diseases, while later timing promotes longevity.
- Women with later menarche and childbirth enjoy longer lifespans and lower disease risks, groundbreaking research shows.
The timing of a woman’s reproductive life may be a powerful predictor of her future health, a new study has revealed.
Scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in the United States, writing in the journal eLife, found that women who experience early menarche (onset of menstruation) or early pregnancy are more likely to face accelerated ageing outcomes.
The analysis shows that girls who reach puberty before age 11, or women who give birth before age 21, are at a significantly higher risk of developing age-related diseases. Such women are twice as likely to suffer from conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart failure, and four times more likely to develop obesity.
Conversely, later puberty and childbirth were genetically linked to a longer lifespan and a reduced risk of diseases, including Alzheimer’s. Women who began menstruating later also had lower risks of breast and endometrial cancers compared to those with earlier onset.
Similarly, women whose first birth occurred at an older age had a reduced risk of cervical cancer, though the same protection was not observed for breast and endometrial cancers.
“Our study provides some of the strongest human evidence for this theory,” said Prof Pankaj Kapahi, the study’s senior author. “We show that genetic factors favouring early reproduction come with significant costs later in life, including accelerated ageing and disease. It makes sense that the factors that enhance survival of the offspring may, in turn, have detrimental consequences for the mother.”
The researchers argue that public health interventions need to be adjusted not only to reduce the risks linked to early reproductive timing but also to address lifestyle factors—such as diet and physical activity—that can worsen the effects of genetic predisposition.
“Even though women are routinely asked about their menstrual and childbirth history during medical visits, this information rarely factors into care beyond obstetrics and gynaecology,” Prof Kapahi noted.
“While we cannot change our genetic inheritance, understanding these trade-offs empowers us to make informed choices about health, lifestyle and medical care.”
