Giving Birth Makes You Smarter, According To Study

It might certainly be a thing of a shock for new mothers who are presently fighting the effect of sleepless nights and baby brain. But you giving birth to children might make your mental health even sharper than before later in life, a recent study has suggested.

Experts believed that mothers can benefit from Oestrogen, a hormone that is produced during pregnancy, or have a boost to their immune system when carrying a child.

Dr. Ann-Marie de Lange, the first author of the research from the University of Oslo said having children make a clear difference when we look at the different factors that affect how women age.

‘Women who have kids might benefit from positive effects later in life, which might arise because of hormones or immune factors associated with pregnancy and childbirth have a defensive effect against brain aging.’

It might surprise new mothers fighting the effects of ‘baby brain’ and sleepless nights but having children can make women mentally sharper later in life, a study reveals

Using brain scans of middle-aged women to carry out the study, with an average age of 54, over 9,500 were mothers. Taking part in the UK Biobank genetic study, experts analyzed their brains based on their total grey matter and volume, including the areas significant for memory.

They discovered that a mother’s brain was around six-months younger biologically than those who haven’t given birth, reflecting a long-term change as a result of pregnancy or by the demands of raising up a child.

Presently, the research carried out is in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.