Man's Ability to Have Kids is Dependent on His Age Written by Theresa Maher

Excellent Article by Theresa Maher!


Written by Theresa Maher

MONDAY, July 7, (News Locale) - Contrary to popular perception, a man is not able to have kids anytime he wishes. New research out of France indicates male fertility is also dependent on age and men who delay fatherhood may have a tough time conceiving later on.

It is believed that unlike women, men have no biological clock and can father children throughout their life. In fact it is not uncommon to see celebrities having babies well after they have crossed their 50s.

Now researchers at the Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Paris have revealed men who delay fatherhood have a less chance of impregnating their partners.

The study of more than 20,000 couples who sought fertility help at the center found men over the age of 35 are almost a third less likely to conceive as compared to their younger counterparts. Furthermore men over the age of 40 had poor quality of sperm, which could lead to frequent miscarriages in their partners. In fact the risk of miscarriage if the father was over the age of 40 was 75 percent.

Researchers believe the DNA in sperm starts to decay with age and this may be the cause of fertility issues in older men.

The details of the study were presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference.

An earlier study by Danish researchers had revealed kids born to older fathers were more likely to die before they entered adulthood when compared to kids born to younger fathers. This incidence was attributed to the declining quality of sperm due to ageing.

The scientists found that congenital defects like heart and spine problems were the main cause of death in these children.

Additionally the risk of autism, epilepsy or schizophrenia also increased in these kids, which led to accidental deaths as well, the researchers had reported in the European Journal of Epidemiology.

Consumers must be aware that the mother's age has always been associated with pregnancy complications. The above study provides evidence that a father's age may also have a say in conception.

Rates of birth defects such as achondroplasia (short stature) and autism is higher among children with older fathers. Single and multi gene disorders

"It is curious that although sperm have been around since the beginning of time, we know so little about what is in them, and what makes them tick, er, swim. So scientists spend a lot of their waking hours trying to compare the structure and content of the proteins of sperm in various species, in order to understand their evolution and origin. For instance, the mutated DNA in the genes of the sperm of older fathers is believed to cause many genetic diseases. It is almost as if a man’s biological clock accelerates mutation in sperm cells in his early ’30s."


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Birth Defects Higher Among Children with Older Fathers
Older men have an increased risk of having a child with abnormalities, new research suggests.

The common belief is that there is no age limit for men when it comes to fathering a child. Unlike women who undergo menopause, men do not have a fixed “andropause”. However, this view is being challenged as new evidence shows that the rates of birth defects such as achondroplasia (short stature) and autism is higher among children with older fathers.

A recent study carried out at a large Israeli army database found that children of men over 40 were 5.75 times more likely to have an autism disorder than those who had fathers under 30. Another Israeli study suggested that the risk of schizophrenia in children is almost double if the father is in his late 40s.

Prof Sheena Lewis, a consultant in reproductive medicine at Queen's University Belfast, said that as men get older their sperm DNA becomes more fragmented. By the time a man is 50, the cells that create a man’s sperm have replicated up to 800 times, creating many possibilities for error.

According to Prof Lewis:

The impact of the father smoking is even worse than the mother smoking (you can't repair damage caused in sperm DNA)
Viagra can affect fertility by causing the sperm to travel too fast
Cannabis us slows sperm function, resulting in a reduction in fertility
She also warns about the damaging impact of modern lifestyle and environmental factors.







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