India, March 7 -- A study from Soochow University, published in the journal of Affective Disorders, found an interesting benefit of having children for women. As per the findings, it helps to safeguard against major mental issues like bipolar disorder and depression. Most importantly, the study also zeroed down on the number of children that provides the optimum benefits. It appears that having two children helps lower the risk, a likely sweet spot for mental health benefits for the mother.

The study came at a time when a disproportionate trend has been seen in regards to childbirth and mental health, when birth rates have gone down and mental health issues are rising. The researchers analysed the data from over 55,700 women. They shared...