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They might be harder to catch – and no doubt leave their mothers more exhausted – but children born to mums over 40 are healthier and brighter than those of younger women.
也許他們更難被懷上，無疑也會讓他們的母親更加精疲力竭，但是年過40的女性生出的小孩比年輕女性生出的小孩更健康、更聰明。
The offspring of older women are less likely to have accidents or need hospital care and more likely to have been vaccinated early, a study found.
一項研究發現，晚育女性的小孩出事故或需要醫院護理的可能性更低，早早打疫苗的可能性更高。
They will also develop a broader vocabulary from a young age and achieve higher scores in IQ tests in a range of measures up to the age of five.
而且，他們從小掌握的詞匯量會更大，在五歲前參加的智商測試中各項指標的分數也更高。
The research, to be presented today at The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health conference in Glasgow, is a rare piece of good news for the rising number of women who are delaying motherhood.
該研究今日在格拉斯哥舉行的皇家醫學院兒科和兒童健康會議上展示。如今推遲生育的女性越來越多，對她們來說這可是個難得的好消息。
Previous studies have highlighted the growing infertility rates for older women and the greater risk of them developing diabetes and pre-eclampsia.
先前的研究突出顯示，年齡較大的女性不孕癥發生率更高，她們患糖尿病和先兆子癇的風險也更大。
But the latest research appears to show gains for older mothers once they have given birth, possibly due to their greater experience and maturity.
然而最新研究似乎表明，年長母親生孩子是益處多多，這可能是因為她們經歷更豐富、更成熟。
The number of mothers who gave birth over the age of 40 increased from 15,000 in 2000 to 27,000 in 2010.
在英國，40歲后生孩子的母親數量從2000年的1.5萬增加到2010年的2.7萬。
Researchers at the Institute of Child Health, University College London and Birkbeck College, London, said their findings showed older mothers can make better parents.
英國兒童健康研究所、倫敦大學學院和伯克貝克學院的研究人員稱，他們的發現表明，晚育女性會成為更好的母親。
Dr Alastair Sutcliffe, who worked on the study, said negative publicity surrounding the rise of older mothers was based on the physical risks of pregnancy and childbirth.
從事這一研究的阿拉斯泰爾•蘇特克里夫醫生說，伴隨高齡母親增多而來的負面宣傳是以懷孕和分娩的身體風險為根據的。
He said: ‘We have clear evidence that there are more desirable outcomes for children of older mothers compared with younger ages. We can reassure these older women that their children are probably better off.’
他說：“我們有清晰的證據表明，高齡母親生出的小孩比年輕母親生出的小孩有更多優勢。我們可以讓晚育女性放心，她們的小孩很有可能更優秀。”
The Wellcome Foundation-funded study looked at 1,100 children born to women aged 40 and over, compared with 38,000 children born to younger women in Britain. The children’s ages ranged from nine months to five years.
由維康基金會出資贊助的這一研究觀察了英國1100個年過40女性生出的小孩，并把這些小孩和3.8萬個年輕女性生出的小孩作比較。小孩的年齡跨度為9個月到五歲。
The research also checked a number of outcomes linked to parenting skills, including naming vocabulary, picture and shapes identification and developmental IQ using established British assessment scales. The findings showed greater ability among children born to older mothers once social class was taken into account.
該研究還用公認的英國評估標準考量了一些和父母教育水平相關的指標，包括先前提過的詞匯量，還有識別圖形能力和發育智商。研究結果顯示，如果把社會階層的因素考慮在內，晚育母親的小孩能力更強。
