Recent research suggests that pregnancy may cause women to ‘age’ biologically by more than five years. This finding does not refer to visible aging or chronological age, but rather to changes in biological age measured through epigenetic ‘DNA methylation clocks.’ Scientists have observed significant shifts in DNA methylation patterns during pregnancy—changes closely linked to the aging process. A study published in Cell Metabolism found that pregnancy can increase biological age by approximately 4.5 to 5.5 years on average. Importantly, however, this apparent ‘accelerated aging’ largely reverses within several months after childbirth, and in some cases, women’s biological age even drops below pre-pregnancy levels.Experts explain that pregnancy is a high-metabolic, high-stress physiological state requiring substantial bodily resources to support fetal development, which may lead to temporary cellular stress. Nevertheless, this transient rise in biological age does not necessarily translate into long-term health risks. In fact, some studies suggest that moderate childbearing may even be associated with longevity. Therefore, the public should not be alarmed by these findings. Researchers continue to investigate how pregnancy influences women’s long-term health, aiming to provide more precise guidance for maternal and postpartum care.
近期有研究指出，怀孕可能使女性在生物学层面上‘衰老’超过5岁。这一结论并非指外貌或实际年龄的增加，而是基于表观遗传学中的‘DNA甲基化时钟’来衡量的生物年龄变化。科学家发现，在怀孕期间，女性体内的DNA甲基化模式会发生显著改变，这些变化与衰老过程高度相关。一项发表于《细胞代谢》（Cell Metabolism）的研究显示，怀孕可导致生物年龄平均增加约4.5至5.5年，但值得注意的是，这种‘加速衰老’在分娩后数月内大多会逆转，甚至部分女性的生物年龄会低于孕前水平。专家解释，怀孕是一种高代谢、高应激的生理状态，身体需调动大量资源支持胎儿发育，这可能导致细胞层面的压力累积。然而，这种暂时性的生物年龄上升并不等同于长期健康风险增加。相反，一些研究还表明，适度生育可能与长寿存在关联。因此，公众不必因该研究结果而对怀孕产生恐慌。科学界仍在深入探索怀孕对女性长期健康的影响机制，以期为孕产期健康管理提供更精准的指导。
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