BRISBANE, May 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Australian researchers have corroborated research showing that women who have many babies develop significant protection against developing not only breast cancer, but also other cancers including colorectal, ovarian and uterine cancers later in life.

“The more children you have, the more protective it gets,” said medical statistician Steven Darlington, a member of a group at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) who conducted the research, according to a news.com.au report. “It seems that an increase in the hormones produced during pregnancy are protecting against cancer, but we're not quite sure exactly how or why that happens.”

After studying cancer rates and correlating that with the number of children borne in 1.2 million Swedish women, Darlington and colleagues found a significant correlation with number of children and cancer incidence, noting that multiple children was especially protective against colorectal cancer. Sweden’s birth and cancer registries are more detailed and comprehensive than Australia’s, he explained.

In addition, starting a family at a younger age conferred significant protection against breast cancer, as compared to women who began their families later in life. The findings were reported in the journal Twin Research and Human Genetics.

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