Women who have babies later in life are more likely to live longer, a new study finds.

There have been many studies that have highlighted women are starting families later in life due to various reasons, career being the main factor. Various studies have also highlighted the ill-effects of having babies later in life. However, a new study by researchers from Boston University Medical Center revealed that women who naturally conceive later in life tend to live longer.

"Of course this does not mean women should wait to have children at older ages in order to improve their own chances of living longer," explained study co-author Thomas Perls in a press statement. "The age at last childbirth can be a rate of aging indicator. The natural ability to have a child at an older age likely indicates that a woman's reproductive system is aging slowly, and therefore so is the rest of her body."

The researchers examined data from the Long Life Family Study (LLFS), which included health information of more than 551 families. Some members of these families lived exceptionally long lives. The researchers made special note of when 462 women in the study had their last child and how old those women lived to be. Researchers found that women who had their last child after the age of 33 were 50 percent more likely to live till 95 years of age compared to women who had their last child at the age of 29. Researchers said that these findings suggest women may be carrying the gene variant that slows aging, which helps people live to extreme old age.

"If a woman has those variants, she is able to reproduce and bear children for a longer period of time, increasing her chances of passing down those genes to the next generation," said Perls. "This possibility may be a clue as to why 85 percent of women live to 100 or more years while only 15 percent of men do."

A previous study conducted by researchers from the New England Centenarian found that women who gave birth to a child after the age of 40 were four times more likely to live to 100 than women who had their last child at a younger age.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health. Findings were published online in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.