Yale researcher finds pregnancy accelerates biological aging – temporarily

A recent study led by Kieran O’Donnell, Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine, finds the biological (epigenetic) age of pregnant women increased by about two years from early pregnancy to late pregnancy.

The effect is largely reversed after childbirth:

“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,” O’Donnell commented.

“I have always been fascinated by pregnancy. The biological changes that a pregnant individual’s body experiences are truly remarkable. Our study highlights another remarkable feature of pregnancy: the body’s capacity to recover”.