Between 2007 and 2016, researchers studied 40,529,905 births in the United States. They were interested in the age of the fathers and the consequences on the health of the baby. The results of the study are published in the British Medical Journal. Conclusion? Older fathers give birth to less healthy children.
The researchers took into account the gestation time, the weight of the babies, the Apgar score (assessment of the vitality of the child at birth), the rate of admissions to a neonatal care unit, the needs in antibiotics and the number of cesarean sections. Factors on the mother’s side have also been studied: diabetes during pregnancy and the number of pre-eclampsia (syndrome responsible for premature births and intrauterine growth retardation).
No more premature babies
What risks? The health of the baby, on the one hand. The study points to an increased risk of premature births, from lighter babies with a lower Apgar score than those born to younger fathers.
Fathers over 45 have a 14% increased chance of giving birth to a premature child. Regarding cesarean sections, researchers realized between 2007 and 2016 that children whose father was over 45 had an 18% increased risk of not being born naturally, compared with children born to fathers aged between 25 and 34 years old.
Surprisingly, the age of the father also affects the pregnancy of the mother, according to the study published by the British Medical Journal. During gestation, diabetes is 34% more risky for women whose spouse (and father of the child) is in the elderly group.
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