It seems that it is a natural thing for a woman to have children. If she does not have children, everyone will feel a little strange and often gossip [either physically or psychologically].
Even, in order to persuade women to have children, various theories similar to “giving birth is good for women’s health” have emerged, and the reasons listed are also various.
In the end, what is the impact of having children on women’s health?
Long-term risk benefits
1. The relationship between childbirth and malignant tumor
To predict the long-term health situation, we can only pay attention to some chronic diseases, such as malignant tumors. Common malignant tumors in women include ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and breast cancer. Let’s examine them one by one.
(1)Having children can reduce the incidence of breast cancer.
The risk of breast cancer is related to the length of a woman’s reproductive period. Women who have never been pregnant have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who have passed through the mother, and women who give birth to their first child later have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who give birth earlier.
(2) Having children can reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer.
Because pregnancy and childbirth can inhibit ovulation, the current statistics show that the occurrence of ovarian cancer is related to infertility or fewer births. At least one birth can play a protective role and reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 30% ~ 40%.
(3) Having children can reduce the incidence of endometrial cancer.
The occurrence of endometrial cancer may be related to estrogen stimulation without progesterone for a long time, so pregnancy and childbirth are a protective factor. According to statistics, the risk of endometrial cancer for women who have not given birth is 2-3 times that for women who have given birth.
(4)More births increase the incidence of cervical cancer.
Because the occurrence of the vast majority of cervical cancer is related to HPV infection, and HPV is sexually transmitted, the high-risk factors for cervical cancer include young age of first sexual life (< 16 years old), multiple sexual partners and more births.
2. Having children can lead to organ injury,
In addition to malignant tumors, pelvic organ prolapse and defecation dysfunction are also common diseases for middle-aged and elderly women.
(1) More births increase the risk of urinary incontinence in young women.
During pregnancy and postpartum, some women will suffer from urinary incontinence, which is obviously related to the number of deliveries. However, if urinary incontinence occurs in women over 60 years old, the impact of delivery times is not so important, and other factors have a greater impact.
(2) Having children increases the risk of defecation dysfunction,
One of the most common causes of abnormal defecation function or fecal incontinence in women is injury during childbirth.
(3) Having children increases the risk of pelvic organ prolapse,
The risk factor for pelvic organ prolapse is vaginal delivery. For women who have had at least one vaginal delivery, the risk of pelvic organ prolapse is twice that of non-parturients.
To sum up, in the long run, pregnancy and childbirth can reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and breast cancer in women. However, the number of births is a high risk factor for cervical cancer. At the same time, giving birth to children is a high-risk factor for women to suffer from defecation and urination dysfunction and pelvic organ prolapse in the future.
Short-term risk benefits
Cardiovascular system
During pregnancy and delivery, human blood volume increases and heart load increases, resulting in hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy. Moreover, for women with cardiac insufficiency before pregnancy, pregnancy and childbirth will aggravate this situation.
Respiratory system
During pregnancy, pregnant women’s resting ventilation and oxygen consumption increase, which can lead to a variety of lung diseases. Acute pulmonary edema is one of the most common causes of women’s transfer to ICU (Intensive Care Unit) during pregnancy and after delivery. Because pregnancy has an inhibitory effect on the immune system, the risk of catching a cold after pregnancy increases.
Blood system
Due to increased blood volume and hypercoagulation during pregnancy, the risk of anemia and thrombotic diseases during pregnancy increases.
Endocrine system
As the metabolic ability of the human body to glucose decreases during pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus is easy to occur, and the difficulty of blood sugar control increases correspondingly after diabetes patients become pregnant.
Digestive system
The mechanism of human gastrointestinal physiological changes during pregnancy is not very clear, but many people will have nausea, vomiting, constipation, hemorrhoids and other manifestations. However, digestive tract ulcer is not common during pregnancy. Women with digestive tract ulcer originally have symptoms that will improve after pregnancy.
Urinary system
Due to the increased renal load during pregnancy, although the risk of lower urinary tract infection does not change during non-pregnancy, if there are women with renal insufficiency before pregnancy, renal damage will usually worsen after pregnancy.
Motion system
During pregnancy, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy, the weight gain of pregnant women is a challenge to the musculoskeletal system. Many people will suffer from waist and back discomfort or pelvic pain. Although most people will gradually recover after delivery, a small number of people may persist for a long time.
To sum up, in the near future, the impact of pregnancy and childbirth on women is undoubtedly huge. Judging from the changes in various systems, the vast majority are adverse effects, which have not taken into account complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and amniotic fluid embolism during delivery.
You know, China’s maternal mortality rate is 32/100,000, and if you don’t have a baby, you don’t have to bear these additional death risks.
Women Have Children = Self-sacrifice
The process of women’s pregnancy is not as pastoral as described in literary works. It is actually a process in which the mother and the fetus compete for living resources.
No matter how much a pregnant woman subjectively loves her baby, her body still regards the fetus as a [foreign body], which is taking nourishment from the woman’s own body and becomes a burden on her body.
Therefore, in general, the female body will do everything possible to expel this [foreign body] out of the body, while the fetus will continue to maintain itself in the mother’s belly through a series of actions.
The mother and the fetus compete with each other to reach a balance. With the increase of pregnancy, the balance gradually becomes unstable. Eventually, the delivery starts and the baby is expelled from the body.
Therefore, it is precisely because of this [struggle] that when you only examine the process of pregnancy and childbirth from the perspective of mother’s health, after weighing the advantages and disadvantages in the short and long term, you will find that the impact of childbirth on women must be more harmful than beneficial. In order for mothers to have this child, she has to take more risks.
The greatness of a mother refers not only to her selfless love for her child in the future, but also to her love from the moment she became pregnant.
Therefore, don’t try to persuade people to get pregnant and have children from the perspective of benefiting women’s health.
For women, their pregnancy, childbirth, breast-feeding and rearing are a kind of sacrifice and a kind of sacrifice. Don’t always think: [Well, you have a child for your own health, and your efforts can be rewarded with health], even from a scientific point of view, this idea is untenable.
Pregnancy and giving birth to children have gone beyond the scope of health medicine and are a socialized problem. In general, it is not too much for women to sacrifice themselves for the continuation of human beings.
Therefore, fathers, give more love to your mother. If you don’t take good care of the woman who gave birth to your child, you will be struck by lightning.
Editor: Xiaoyan
Author: Tian Jishun
The article was reprinted by Clove Garden authorized by the author.