Christine Dunkel Schetter, UCLA (IMAGE) University of California - Los Angeles Caption Why do some people age faster than others? A new UCLA-led study indicates that a mother's stress prior to giving birth may accelerate her child's biological aging later in life. A second UCLA-led study from the same research group found that women suffering from high stress during the months and even years before conception -- defined as feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope -- had shorter pregnancies than other women. Credit UCLA Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.