Pregnancy Lab Test Dynamics Resemble Rejuvenation Of Some Organs And Aging Of Others
Pregnancy is a remarkable journey involving profound physiological changes in a woman’s body. Recent research sheds light on how these changes impact what scientists call “biological age,” a measure of how well your body is functioning compared to your chronological age. This study, which looked at a vast amount of lab test data from hundreds of thousands of pregnancies, revealed some fascinating insights.
During the first trimester, many women experienced a surprising “rejuvenation,” with their biological age appearing to drop by several years. However, as pregnancy progressed towards delivery, this trend reversed dramatically, with biological age increasing significantly, sometimes by decades. The good news is that after childbirth, these changes were largely temporary, and biological age gradually returned to pre-pregnancy levels.
The researchers found that not all organ systems responded in the same way. Some, like the kidneys, iron regulation, and most liver functions, showed signs of “rejuvenation,” meaning their activity patterns moved in the opposite direction of typical aging. In contrast, other systems, including those involved in blood clotting, thyroid function, muscle, and metabolism, exhibited changes that resembled accelerated aging.
It’s important to note that while some changes mirrored aging, the underlying biological processes causing these shifts during pregnancy were often different from those seen in natural aging. This suggests that pregnancy is a unique physiological state, not simply an accelerated aging process. The “rejuvenation” observed in certain systems could even offer valuable clues for future research into how to slow down aspects of biological aging.
Source: link to paper