Benefits of pregnancy and childbirth
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Benefits of Pregnancy
Physical benefits
Reduced risk of breast cancer
Natural stem cell therapy
- Fetomaternal microchimerism is the process of incorporating fetal stem cells into the mother's own body and "may be considered a naturally occuring stem cell therapy." (Seppanen 2013) For example, a 2015 study published in the journal Circulation Research showed that fetal stem cells were activated to repair damaged cardiac cells in the mother's heart and that the process involved fully integrating the fetal cells into the mother’s heart. These fetal stem cell lines have been shown to persist for at least decades. (Bianchi 1996) Ways in which fetomaternal microchimerism may impact wound healing, thyroid function, autoimmune disease response, cancer, and maternal emotional and psychological health have been examined in a 2015 review by Boddy et al.