| Title: |
Number of live births as a protective factor against clinical and covert brain infarcts: The Framingham heart study |
| Authors: |
Maher, Senan; Scot, Matthew R.; Buckley, Rachel F.; DeCarli, Charles S.; Aparicio, Hugo J.; Romero, Jose Rafael; Vasan, Ramachandran S.; Murabito, Joanne M.; Bhasin, Shalender; Beiser, Alexa S.; Seshadri, Sudha; McGrath, Emer R. |
| Contributors: |
Health Research Board, Ireland; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute on Aging; National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke |
| Publisher Information: |
Wiley; American Heart Association |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway: ARAN |
| Subject Terms: |
reproductive factors; risk prediction; stroke; women |
| Description: |
Background Female‐specific reproductive factors have been associated with stroke risk, although evidence for some factors (eg, live births) remains conflicting. We determined the association between number of live births and other female‐specific reproductive factors and subsequent risk of stroke and magnetic resonance imaging markers of vascular brain injury in a community‐based cohort. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of 1882 (mean age, 61.3±9.6 years) women from the FHS (Framingham Heart Study) Offspring cohort who were stroke free at the baseline examination (1998–2001). Reproductive factors included number of live births, age at menopause, postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy use and serum estradiol and estrone levels. The primary outcome was incident all‐cause stroke, with covert brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensity volume on brain magnetic resonance imaging as cross‐sectional secondary outcomes. Results During a median 18‐year follow‐up, 126 women had a stroke. On multivariable Cox proportional hazards models controlling for vascular risk factors, ≥3 live births (versus 0, reference) was associated with a reduced risk of stroke (hazard ratio, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.31–0.85]; P |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Maher, Senan, Scott, Matthew R., Buckley, Rachel F., DeCarli, Charles S., Aparicio, Hugo J., Romero, Jose Rafael, et al. Number of Live Births as a Protective Factor Against Clinical and Covert Brain Infarcts: The Framingham Heart Study. Journal of the American Heart Association, e044037. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.125.044037; https://hdl.handle.net/10379/19539; https://doi.org/10.13025/30328; https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.125.044037 |
| DOI: |
10.13025/30328 |
| DOI: |
10.1161/JAHA.125.044037 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/10379/19539; https://doi.org/10.13025/30328; https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.125.044037 |
| Rights: |
CC BY-NC ; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.EE4D756C |
| Database: |
BASE |