Pregnancy can be 'infected' from girlfriends: scientists explained how it works
'03.06.2019'
Source: Delphi
Can pregnancy be contagious? In recent years, researchers have repeatedly tried to find an answer to this question. Their conclusion, writes the Austrian edition Kurier, is unambiguous: it can.
“Of course, pregnancy is not as contagious as the flu. However, some factors actually contribute to the fact that, for example, girlfriends often get pregnant together, ”writes Delphi.
“In particular, this is the conclusion of a 2014 study published in the scientific journal American Sociological Review. According to this information, the decision to have a child is influenced by friends, friends with whom can last from school days.
“A friend's pregnancy has a positive effect on the likelihood of becoming a mother,” the researchers write. “After a friend gives birth to a child, the risk of getting pregnant on her own grows,” experts say, and “peaks in about two years.
On the subject: How to determine pregnancy at home: 7 unusual ways
In this study, 1,7 data from thousands of women aged 30 were studied. These were school friends who maintained relationships after graduation. The researchers concluded that girlfriends have an impact on women’s making important life decisions.
“The decision to have a child (or vice versa) is the result of several related decisions and actions, ranging from attitudes towards sex, protection and abortion. Each of these aspects can be influenced by the behavior of peers and girlfriends, ”the study authors write.
On the subject: At the Arizona hospital, 16 nurses became pregnant at the same time
Similar findings were made in a study conducted in 2012 by the Bavarian State Family Research Institute at the University of Bamberg. Then, the researchers studied the 42 data of thousands of women from 7, 6 of thousands of companies and concluded that a successful example of a pregnant employee almost doubles the likelihood that one of her colleagues will become pregnant.
“Such examples can increase self-confidence and reduce the doubts that often arise when deciding to have a child,” Kurier reports.
