Women Get Pregnant Right After Their Ex-Classmates

Italian scientists have concluded that motherhood is “contagious.” Women are more likely to have children if they know that their former classmate recently became a mother.

Motherhood can be a real trend among former classmates who maintain relationship after graduation, as research by Italian scientists from Bocconi University shows. It turns out that if a woman gives birth, and her ex-classmates get to know about it, they may soon become mothers themselves.

The “infectiousness” of motherhood is particularly noticeable in short periods, says the study co-author Dr. Nicoletta Balbo. The probability of pregnancy and childbirth grows dramatically right after a woman’s former classmate becomes a mother, reaching a peak two years after the event. Then this probability begins to decrease.

The researchers found out that women make a decision to become pregnant not only due to their own conscious desire and the partner’s influence, but also due to the social circle in which they communicate. In particular, former classmates’ enthusiastic stories about childbirth and child upbringing, a personal meeting with the child and other similar experiences have a huge impact on women, who will soon feel the need to realize the maternal instinct.

Friends also become an example of how to perform the duties of motherhood. The first desire to have a baby appears when a former classmate is still pregnant.