[SarahM72]

...at least in Dubbo!

The study, of older Australians living in Dubbo, found women with six or more children were about 40 per cent less likely to die during the 16-year follow-up than women with no children.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/heal...l#ixzz1rqKFRvTK

http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/heal...0412-1wwjq.html

This post has been edited by SarahM72: 13/04/2012, 02:10 AM

[Jenmummy]

I've always hypothesised this, particularly when women are extremely fertile past the "normal" child-bearing age - more common in the larger families.

Being extremely fertile in your 40s has to be a good sign of good health, right?

I can still just remember my great great grandmother, who had 10 kids after 30 (last at 49) and lived to 102 (103?).



This post has been edited by Jenmummy: 13/04/2012, 09:52 PM

[Morti]

Cripes! 'Spose I'd better have a few more after this one then! (Although I'm not sure that my sanity would benefit as much as this study points to it benefitting my longetivity!! )

[Alacritous~Andy]

They were in Dubbo. Without kids to occupy them, they probably died of boredom.

[creepersgonnacre...]

I think age is genetics TBH and sometimes just pot luck!

[Jenflea]

How big was the sample size?
And I'd rather die earlier with my chosen number of children(1 for now thanks!) than live to over 100(possibly with bad health and dementia) with more kids than we can afford or want.
The comments underneath were really interesting too.

[creepersgonnacre...]

oh my grandma was 80 she died of congestive heart failure-she had 6 living kids and one late miscarriage...

I think my nanna's grandmother had 13 living and 2 or 3 that died either at birth or shortly after! I think she lived to 81 years old which for someone born in the mid 1800s wasn't too bad.

[Riversong]

We saw this last night on the news and DD15 said "quick Mum you'll have to have one more"

[Tea~for~two]

Anyone who survives 6 pregnancies, 6 births, 6 goes at breastfeeding, 6 lots of toilet training, temper tantrums, and puberty is going to be made of pretty tough stuff :-S

[Jenflea]

I think the majority of women in the sample size would have formula fed(like my grandmothers and my husband's grandmothers.) which was slightly less taxing on the body, if not the wallet/finances. Plus you could go out and leave the baby with an older child or relative.