Historical records hint daughters of older mothers may be less fertile

By Michael Le Page

A woman’s fertility may be slightly impacted by the age of her mother at the time of conception

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A study of women born in the Netherlands in the 19th century adds to the evidence that the daughters of older mothers may be less fertile.

Many animal studies have found that females born to older mothers have worse health and fewer offspring on average. This could be because eggs accumulate mutations as they age.

Some studies suggest the same is true of people, but in modern populations factors such as education, wealth and access to contraception have a …