Multiple Pregnancies Lined to A Healthier Heart

In a new study from a Californian community, women who had been pregnant at least four times were less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases than those who had never been expecting. This could be due to the protective effects of pregnancy-related hormones, the social support that comes with having more children or the fact that women who are able to get pregnant more often are eathier to begin with. It is not clear that getting pregnant more often protect women's hearts. It is just one more little pice of the puzzle that maybe physicians should be aware of. The new study, published in fertility and sterility, involved nearly 1,300 women from southern California. In the mid 1980's when paricipants were on average in their early 70's, the researchers asked them how many times they had been pregnant and given birth. The researchers asked about lifesyle habits related to heart health, such as smoking and exercise, and measured their cholesterol, blood pressure, height and weight. For the next 19 years, the reseachers tracked them through regular clinic visits, questionaires and death records. Over that periode, 707 women or about 55  per cent, died of various causes. Just under half of those deaths were due to heart and vascular diseases, including heart failure, heart attacks and strokes.

Compared to women who had never been pregnant, those who reported at least four pregnancies were about 35 per cent less likely to die of any heart or vascular disease. That was after taking into account the women's age and weight. One of the possible explanations, the researchers said, was that women who are pregnant more times produce more oestrogen over the long run and longer lifetime exposure to the hormone may have protective heart effects. Alternatively, heart-related deaths could be reduced in women who have lots  of grown children and social support around them  as they age.