Women with multiple children have a significantly higher risk of heart attack

How Does Pregnancy Affect Heart Health??

The birth of a child is a very stressful process for the mother's body, which apparently does not remain without negative consequences in the birth of several children. Researchers have now found that women with more than one or two children are at a much greater risk of developing severe heart attack.

Scientists from the internationally respected University of Cambridge found in their current research that mothers of more than two children are at up to 40 percent more at risk for a major heart attack. The physicians published the results of their study at this year's British Cardiovascular Society Conference in Manchester.

Pregnancy and subsequent childbirth are a major burden on women's health. If women have multiple children, the risk of having a heart attack increases. (Image: nd3000 / fotolia.com)

Risk increases with the number of children

In the current study, it could be observed that mothers with five or more children had the greatest risk of a serious heart attack. However, the risk of such a disease generally increases with each additional child, explain the researchers. A pregnancy and the subsequent birth are a huge burden on the heart. In addition, the stress and the demands on the mother, if several children need to be raised and cared for, the doctors add.

How much was the risk increased??

If women have five or more children, it increases the risk of heart disease (the leading cause of heart attack) by 30 percent, the researchers report. It also increases the risk of stroke by 25 percent and increases the likelihood of heart failure by 17 percent, compared to women with only one or two children.

Parents of large families should protect their hearts

Hopefully, the results will help provide more motivation for parents of large families to take additional steps to protect the heart, such as a healthy diet or more exercise, say the physicians. Earlier studies had suggested that breastfeeding can protect the heart. However, the current study found that the additional risk of giving birth to several children can not be fully compensated by breastfeeding, say the experts.

Study had more than 8,000 participants

For their study, the researchers examined the data of more than 8,000 women from the United States. The participants were between the ages of 45 and 64 years. Women who have had an abortion in the past, either through miscarriage or other factors, have also been studied. These women had a 60 percent higher risk of heart disease than women who had only one or two children. The researchers explain that this is likely to be due to health problems that also increase the risk of pregnancy loss and heart disease or heart failure.

Many people do not survive a heart attack

Previous research has not been conclusive on the relationship between heart health and the number of children born to a woman, and few factors, including heart disease and heart attacks, have been studied, the researchers explain. (As)