New research from the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) has found that pregnancy may accelerate aging, but with a surprising twist. The study, published in Cell Metabolism, reveals that while pregnancy initially increases biological age, there is a significant reversal of this effect in the postpartum period.
Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) Assistant Professor Kieran O’Donnell, PhD, led the research team in utilizing epigenetic data from a unique pregnancy cohort to measure biological aging using ‘epigenetic clocks.’ O’Donnell explained, “From early to late pregnancy, biological age increased by approximately two years, suggesting that pregnancy does indeed accelerate aging.”
However, the study uncovered a remarkable finding. O’Donnell stated, “At three months postpartum, we saw a remarkably large decrease in biological age, by as much as eight years for some individuals, so while pregnancy increases biological age there is a clear (and pronounced) recovery in the postpartum.”
Furthermore, the research highlighted the impact of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and breastfeeding on the recovery effect. The study found that higher pre-pregnancy body mass index led to higher biological age estimates in the postpartum, while breastfeeding resulted in a steeper decline in maternal biological age from pregnancy to three months postpartum.
O’Donnell emphasized the significance of these findings for aging research, stating, “Lots to follow up on here. First, we don’t know if the postpartum recovery effect is relevant for short or long term maternal health outcomes and if these effects accumulate over successive pregnancies. Likewise, we don’t know if the postpartum decrease in biological age is simply the system recovering to pre-pregnancy biological age or, more provocatively, if pregnancy may have a rejuvenating effect.”
The study sheds new light on the complex relationship between pregnancy and aging, raising intriguing questions about the long-term impact of pregnancy on women’s health and the potential rejuvenating effects of the postpartum period.
