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Late childbirth reduces the risk of uterine cancer
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Women who give birth after age 30 or 40 can significantly reduce their risk of developing endometrial cancer, which develops in the lining of the uterus. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina (USA).
The researchers analyzed data from 17 studies involving 8,671 women with endometrial cancer and 16,562 women without the disease. They looked at how having children affected cancer risk, and took into account other variables that change the likelihood of developing the disease (use of contraceptives and number of children).
It turned out that those who gave birth after 40 years of age were 44% less likely to develop endometrial cancer than those who became mothers at 25 or earlier. The subjects whose last birth was at 35–39 years of age had a 32% lower probability of becoming a victim of the disease. And those who gave birth to their last child at 30–34 years of age were 17% less likely to develop the disease compared to those who gave birth for the last time at 25 years of age.
The beneficial effects of childbirth were observed even as women aged, suggesting that protection against cancer persists for many years after childbirth. However, scientists are still unable to explain the link between late childbirth and the risk of endometrial cancer. Hormonal levels during pregnancy may help prevent the disease. Childbirth may also rid the uterus of cancer-causing cells, or women who are able to become pregnant later in life may have a healthier uterus than others.
In 2012, 47,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with endometrial cancer; 8,000 will die from the disease.
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