Ovarian Cancer Risk Decreased By Almost Half If Women Conceive at 35, Says Study

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Women who delay childbirth during their mid-30's or later may lower their risk of contracting ovarian cancer than those who give birth earlier.

"If you have a later age at first birth, you essentially are able to clear more of the malignancy-transformed cells," according to researcher Alice Lee, a doctoral student at the University of Southern California. She presented the research this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The research was based on the medical records from more than 1,500 women who are living in Los Angeles suffering from ovarian cancer and in more than 2,000 women who did not have the cancer, according to Live Science.

According to their findings, there is a 16 percent lesser chance of ovarian cancer for every five-year increase in a woman's age when she had her first pregnancy. The scientists also included other factors that may affect their risk for the disease such as total number of children and use of oral contraception.

The researchers are not sure why getting a late first pregnancy could reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

"The fact that the timing [of the pregnancy] matters kind of shows there's a little bit more to this" link between ovulation and ovarian cancer," Lee said via Live Science.

What they do know is that the increase of the progesterone hormone during pregnancy could signal cells to destroy themselves.

"If you have a later age at first birth, you essentially are able to clear more of the malignancy-transformed cells," Lee said.

According to Inquisitr, a woman's fertility declines as she ages. The risk for infertility is higher and conception takes longer. This could be cause for concern for those who are waiting to conceive a child.

This is not exactly good news for older moms. Delaying their first pregnancy could increase chances of breast cancer, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

There are two factors that affect the risk of a woman getting breast cancer: number of children and age of when the woman had her first child. Women who never had children via birth have a higher chance of getting breast cancer than those who have had more than one childbirth. Moreover, the younger the woman when she had her first pregnancy, the better.

"Breast cancer risk is increased for about 10 years after a first birth, and then it drops below the risk of women who don't have children. The younger you are when you have your first child, the sooner you get the protective effect of pregnancy," the organization revealed.