For women, being able to have children naturally later in life may be a sign that they will live an unusually long time, according to new research.

The link between the ability to give birth at older ages and longevity may be explained by genetic traits that facilitate both, the researchers said.

In the study, the researchers looked at 462 women, including 311 women who had lived to exceptionally old ages, and found that women who gave birth to their last child after age 33 were twice as likely to live to at least age 95, compared with women who had their last child by age 29, FoxNews reports.

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. Instead, the findings may mean that the ability to give birth at older ages is a sign of slower aging.

The researchers also found that having more than three children tempered the link between increased maternal age and survival to old ages.

If a woman has those genetic 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.