Older mums risking their lives?

The latest in a number of oldermumbashing stories, a recent report revealed that hereditary breast cancer could be brought on by delaying pregnancy. The theory is that having children stabilises breast cells, making them less responsive to the hormones that might cause the disease. Dubbed ‘nun syndrome’, the phenomenon was noticed as far back as 300 years ago when Dr Bernardino Ramazzini, an Italian professor of medicine, realised childless nuns were far more likely to die from breast cancer than other women. And while drinking habits, diet and smoking can all contribute to cancer, new reports point fi rmly at women who wait to have babies. “Until recently,