UK: Women who give birth may live longer by absorbing some of their unborn child's cells, it was claimed today.
Researchers have found male stem cells in women more than 50 years after they have given birth to boys.
They suggest this could benefit the mother, replacing ageing cells and helping to explain why women generally live longer than men. Stem cells are "master" cells that grow into different kinds of tissue. It is known that cells from the blood of the foetus can pass to the mother during pregnancy.
The cells eventually become absorbed into the mother's bone marrow - a process known as fetomaternal microchimerism.
Prof Nick Fisk, from Hammersmith Hospital, London, who led the new research reported yesterday in The Lancet medical journal, said: "We've known for a long time that cells from the foetus pass into the mother during pregnancy, but this is the first time we've shown that cells from the foetus, male or female, can stay with the mother for the rest of her life."
He said the results may explain why pregnancy may prevent or protect against diseases such as multiple sclerosis or breast cancer.