May 17, 2019.
According to an American study, late fatherhood, after 45 years, would lead to risks for the health of the baby as well as that of the mother.
Late paternity creates risks for mother and child
The age at which you are a first-time parent keeps dropping. While we know more about the risks of late pregnancy in women, which increases the risk of prenatal complications in particular, studies are less common on the consequences of late fatherhood.. A team of researchers from Rutgers University in New Jersey, conducted a large study on late parenting, to measure the consequences on women and men.
According to the results of their work, published in the journal Maturitas, late paternity, after 45 years, would entail risks not only for the health of the unborn child, but also for that of the mother. ” With age, a natural drop in testosterone is quite possible. The degradation of sperm quality is also a factor », Specifies Gloria Bachmann, co-author of the study.
Pregnancy complications and risk of malformations
Concretely, being a father after 45 years entails for the mother ” a decreased fertility and increased pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, intrauterine growth restriction, and premature birth “. In addition, late paternity would generate a ” increased risk of deformities chromosomal and non-chromosomal congenital and increased incidence of autism and cancer in children “.
” Although it is widely believed that physiological changes that occur in women after 35 years of age can affect conception, pregnancy, and the health of the child., most men don’t realize that their advanced age can have a similar impact », Notes Gloria Bachmann. Thus, researchers recommend raising awareness of the consequences of late fatherhood and when considered early enough, they suggest sperm banking.
Aurélie Giraud
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