Children are believed to bring joy to our hearts – but do they also bring heart disease? ER Physician Dr. Travis Stork explains that a recent study of 500,000 individuals found that the number of children parents had affected their risk of coronary heart disease.

Parents with more than two kids were most at risk. One child actually has a protective effect, perhaps because parents rely on them for care and support later in life.

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Two of The Doctors who are also parents weigh in. “It is a big financial stress,” notes Urologist Dr. Jennifer Berman. “Their stress is our stress,” adds Dr. Andrew Ordon. Stress is a major risk factor for heart disease.

However, Dr. Berman concludes, “Having a child is, in my experience, the first and only way that I experience pure, unconditional love.”

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Dr. Stork agrees, “You don’t base the decision of how many children to have or not have on some study.”