Being a mother can be one of the most rewarding things that you will ever do with your life. It can have some interesting side effects when it comes to your health though! Here are some positive effects and some that are just strange:
– Bigger brain: When you have a child the hippocampus grows. This part of the brain is responsible for your memory and learning. Every time you have a child it grows bigger.
– Reduced risk of breast cancer: Women have a smaller risk of developing breast cancer when they are pregnant because the stop in menstruation reduces their exposure to the hormones that can cause breast cancer.
– Longer life: A study that was conducted in Australia in 2012 shows that women who have children reduce their risk of death. It also showed that women who have four children have even less of a risk although they are unclear as to why.
– Overweight: Mothers have a higher risk of being overweight than women who do not have children. When you become pregnant your metabolism changes as well as your body. It is also harder to find time to exercise and eat right.
– Stress: It is no secret that being a mother is stressful. Multiple studies have shown that mothers are more stressed out than women who have no children. On a more positive note however a woman’s body produces more oxytocin after she has a baby which is a natural stress killer.
– DNA: Some mothers with autoimmune disorders may feel slightly better after having a child. This is because that sometimes when a woman has a baby the baby’s DNA is left in the mother. This can have a negative effect however on certain diseases like lupus which can be made worse due to the foreign DNA.
– Feet: A 2013 study showed that when a woman has a baby she loses arch rigidity in her feet thus making her feet longer.
