A brand new study has found that women who delay motherhood tend to be healthier in their 40s.
The study revealed that women who had children between the ages of 25 and 35 had better health in middle age.
Meanwhile, it found that women who had their first child between the ages of 15 and 24 were unhealthier in midlife.
The study used information from the 3,348 women who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 in the US.
It was conducted by Ohio State's Center for Human Resource Research for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Study co-author Dr Kristi Williams said the findings were the first of its kind.
"We’ve had all this focus on the bad effects of teen childbearing but never really asked what happens if these teens waited until early adulthood," she said.
"The assumption has been that 'of course, it is better to wait'. But at least when it comes to the later health of the mother, that isn’t necessarily true.
"We still need to be concerned that women who are having births in their early 20s may face more health challenges as they reach middle age than those who wait longer."
Another interesting finding was that women who were married when they had their first child also tended to be healthier in their 40s.
It's fascinating stuff - especially given that women are constantly being warned NOT to delay motherhood...
How old were you when you had your first child?
WATCH Amanda Keller chat about having kids later in life.
