Is it easier to find the line after pregnancy when you are young? Not according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which found teenage pregnancy could increase the risk of obesity in a woman’s life.
According to the study, people who were pregnant between the ages of 13 and 19 are 32% more likely to be obese than a woman who had a child after her 20s. “We knew that teenage pregnancy is linked to some immediate risks, such as underweight babies being born to mothers struggling to complete their education. Now we also know there are long term risks. for health, “says researcher Tammy Chang of the University of Michigan Medical School, quoted by the site LiveScience.
The researchers looked at data from 5,220 women between the ages of 20 and 59 and compared those who had a baby before age 20 to those who didn’t. After analyzing their weight, they found that 44.2% of women who experienced a pregnancy as a teenager became obese, compared to 35.2% of women who had a child as an adult. “In caring for teenage mothers, we often have immediate concerns like child care, housing, school and financial support, without thinking about the long-term health effects,” says Tammy Chang.
The researchers noted in their study that their findings prove an association, but not a cause-and-effect link, between teenage pregnancy and obesity. This study provides a better understanding of the link between teenage childbirth. and obesity so that we can help these women during and after their pregnancy.
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