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Study suggests children born to older mothers tend to be smarter
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The researchers found that while children born to younger mothers in 1958 and 1970 were smarter than those born to older women, the results were completely reversed in 2001. However, the study also said there were “proven health risks associated with late pregnancies, including difficulties in conceiving, Down's Syndrome and Autism.” (shutterstock.com/-)
A
recent study suggests that children born to women who are 35 years or older and in their first pregnancy are more likely to be smarter and better educated than those born to younger mothers.
Published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the 2016 study looked at research conducted in the UK from 1958, 1970 and 2001 studying the cognitive abilities of children.
The researchers found that while children born to younger mothers in 1958 and 1970 were smarter than those born to older women, the results were completely reversed in 2001.
Read also: Pregnancy and childbirth in older mothers
The researchers then looked further into the social and economic situation of the mothers and found that the change was possibly due to where the women were in life.
The study states that in recent years, “women who opt for later pregnancies are usually more educated, with serious careers and less likely to smoke during pregnancy.”
This is not the only study attempting to link intelligence with late motherhood.
A Swedish study published in April 2016 found that children born to mothers over the age of 40 were more likely to be better educated and more successful than their earlier-born siblings, though the relationship between birth order and intelligence has yet to be confirmed.
However, the study also said there were “proven health risks associated with late pregnancies, including difficulties in conceiving, Down's Syndrome and Autism.” (sul/kes)
