More Live Births Tied to Lower Later Stroke Risk in Women

THURSDAY, April 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- A greater number of live births is associated with a decreased risk for stroke years later, according to a study published online March 18 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.Senan Maher, from the University of Galway in Ireland, and colleagues examined the association between number of live births and other female‐specific reproductive factors and subsequent risk for stroke and magnetic resonance imaging markers of vascular brain injury. The analysis included 1,882 women participating in the Framingham Heart Study.The researchers found that during a median 18 years of follow-up, 126 women had a stroke. When controlling for vascular risk factors, compared with no live births, three or more live births were associated with a reduced risk for stroke (hazard ratio, 0.51). Similarly, more live births (at least three versus none) was associated with a decreased risk for covert brain infarct (odds ratio, 0.52). There was no significant association seen between other reproductive factors and incident stroke or magnetic resonance imaging markers of vascular brain injury."Our findings would suggest that reproductive factors -- for example, number of live births -- may be an additional factor to consider when assessing stroke risk in women," coauthor Sudha Seshadri, M.D., from UT Health San Antonio, said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

More Live Births Tied to Lower Later Stroke Risk in Women

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