Long term relationships = Healthier Babies new study finds

November 14, 2009 by Baby Chums
Filed under: Baby Health, News, Pregnancy

Scientists from Auckland University in New Zealand suggest that women in long term relationships have healthier pregnancies and births, they were also less likely to suffer high blood pressure during pregnancy and less likely to birth,”petit” or undersized babies.

New Research suggests that women who had exclusively slept with a partner for at least six months had a lower rate of pre-eclampsia, (When a pregnant woman develops high blood pressure) and fewer undersized babies.

In the study researchers asked 2,507 first time pregnant women how long they had been with the baby’s father.

It was discovered that pre-eclampsia was found to be less common in women who had long-term sexual relations exclusively with the baby’s father, than in those who had been with their partner only for a short period. Conversely women who had undersized babies were more likely to have been in shorter relationships.

Pre-eclampsia is known to be more common in young mothers, first-time mothers and those who are having their first baby with a new partner.

Experts believe that the reason for the healthier birth is long-term exposure to the biological father’s sperm which boosts the immune system.

Dr Larry Chamley, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Auckland, said that female immune system was boosted by exposure to “paternal antigens” - beneficial antibodies in the male sperm.

“Although the issue of whether prolonged semen exposure does protect against developing pre-eclampsia is not yet resolved this paper seems to tip the weight of evidence back in favour of suggesting that prolonged semen exposure is protective,” he said.

The results of the study, published in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology, were adjusted for the lifestyle and background of the women including their weight, whether they smoked and their general health.

The study is not the first to conclude longer term relationships benefits the health of any children the couple go on to have. We recently wrote about how the kiss was engineered to protect babies.