The Prevalence of Childlessness in Cohorts of Older Women

Neuroprotective Effects of Motherhood on Brain Function in Late Life: A Resting-State fMRI Study

The maternal brain undergoes structural and functional plasticity during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Little is known about functional plasticity outside caregiving-specific contexts and whether changes persist across the lifespan. Structural neuroimaging studies suggest that parenthood may confer a protective effect against the aging process; however, it is unknown whether parenthood is associated with functional brain differences in late life. We examined the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and number of children parented in 220 healthy older females (73.82 ± 3.53 years) and 252 healthy older males (73.95 ± 3.50 years). We compared the patterns of resting-state functional connectivity with 3 different models of age-related functional change to assess whether these effects may be functionally neuroprotective for the aging human parental brain. No relationship between functional connectivity and number of children was obtained for males. For females, we found widespread decreasing functional connectivity with increasing number of children parented, with increased segregation between networks, decreased connectivity between hemispheres, and decreased connectivity between anterior and posterior regions. The patterns of functional connectivity related to the number of children an older woman has parented were in the opposite direction to those usually associated with age-related cognitive decline, suggesting that motherhood may be beneficial for brain function in late life.

Sterility, an Overlooked Health Condition

Clinically, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after a certain period. In contrast, sterility is defined as the inability to produce a biological child; however, this is not a practical definition that can be applied in a clinical setting to a patient’s diagnosis. Unlike infertility, sterility is rarely discussed in biomedical and clinical literature and is often used synonymously with infertility. Infertility affects about 10% of couples globally, but the prevalence of sterility remains unknown. We divide sterility into three subtypes natural, clinical, and hardship. To estimate sterility prevalence, we analyzed primary literature and meta-analysis papers on the rates of live births and pregnancies throughout several treatments of infertile couples (e.g., untreated patients, in vitro fertilization-treated, and patients administered other treatments). This analysis indicates that all treatments fail in delivering a biological child to most couples, suggesting that most infertile couples may fail to conceive. More comprehensive primary studies are needed to provide a precise estimate of sterility. Furthermore, research is needed to study the causes of sterility, as well as develop methods for diagnosis and treatment that are financially affordable and emotionally tolerable. Altogether, sterility is an under-discussed condition that is more common than expected, as many infertile couples are unable to conceive and are, in effect, sterile.

Who uses residential aged care now, how has it changed and what does it mean for the future?

ObjectiveThis paper presents past trends in resident characteristics and usage patterns in residential aged care and explores implications for the future. MethodsTime series analyses were undertaken of national aged care administrative datasets and the Australian Bureau of Statistics Surveys of Disability, Ageing and Carers. ResultsAlthough the number of people in residential care has continued to increase, resident profiles have changed as a result of higher growth rates in the number of men and of people aged 65–74 years and 90 years and over, and a decline in the number of women aged 75–89 years. Relative to population size, usage rates are declining across all age groups, the average length of stay is shortening, and dependency levels appear to be rising. ConclusionChanging trends in residential aged care use, when combined with key trends in the broader population of older Australians, offer useful insights in planning for the future. What is known about the topic?Trends in the changing characteristics of permanent aged care residents and patterns of use of Australian residential aged care have received sparse attention in scholarly journals. Government reports and databases contain useful statistics, but they do not provide a coherent analysis and interpretation of the implications of these trends or situate them in broader population patterns. What does this paper add?The analyses in this paper demonstrate patterns of change and continuity in the use of residential care over the past decade, and locate those changes in the context of broader trends in the ageing population. Together, this provides useful insights into current and likely future trends, as well as a basis for imagining an improved residential aged care system in the future. What are the implications for practitioners?These analyses illustrate how data on aged care services, demographic trends and disease patterns can be used to consider the challenges that have affected our residential aged care system in the past and how that may be addressed in the future.

Kinship Ties and Solitary Living among Unmarried Elderly Women in Chile and Mexico

Using census microdata, the article describes living arrangements among unmarried elderly women in Chile and Mexico around 1990, two rather different Latin American countries. In both countries, most unmarried elderly women lived with kin. Even those without children still usually lived with relatives, often nephews, nieces, or siblings. Elderly women who never married nor had any children had a higher likelihood of co-residence than counterparts who never married but did have children or who married but did not have children. Residence with relatives may well decline notably in Chile and Mexico in the next 25 to 50 years among unmarried elderly people. That certainly has been the case in more developed countries. The question could become how to retain valuable kin ties while respecting increased autonomy.

Women's health and their childbearing expectations and outcomes: a population-based survey from Victoria, Australia

CONTEXT

Financial and employment concerns are commonly regarded as the most important factors determining Australian women's childbearing. However, little is known about the relationship between women's health and their childbearing.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between health and childbearing expectations and outcomes in a population-based sample of women living in Victoria, one Australian state (n = 569), recruited from the Australian Electoral Roll in 2005. Participants completed a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire.

MAIN FINDINGS

Health problems were identified by many participants as a salient factor in their childbearing, and were often an obstacle that prevented them from achieving their ideal childbearing outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The results challenge the prevailing view that women's childbearing is mostly voluntary, and primarily based on financial considerations or career ambitions. To assist women in achieving their childbearing preferences, appropriate health care and policies are required.

Consequences of childlessness in later life

The author examines "the consequences of childlessness for living arrangements and instrumental support [using] statistics on 8,313 women aged 65 years and over from the 1986 [U.S.] Census Households Sample File, a 1 per cent sample of the census returns.... The paper first compares the living arrangements of childless women with those of mothers to illustrate the distinctiveness of the two populations. The paper then uses logistic regression modelling to analyse the effects of childlessness on the risk of living in particular situations."