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Walking in his shoes

 

When it comes to fertility and the prospect of having normal babies, it has always been assumed that women need to start a family before the age of 30 to avoid high risk pregnancies, not to how hard it is on our bodies.  But evidence is raising questions about that assumption, suggesting that as men get older, they face an increased risk of fathering children with abnormalities. Several recent studies are starting to persuade many doctors that men should not be too cavalier about postponing marriage and children.

 

The newer studies were alarming because they found higher rates of more common conditions — including autism and schizophrenia — in offspring born to men in their middle 30s and late 40s. A number of studies also suggest that male fertility may diminish with age.  A recent study on autism attracted attention because of its striking findings about a perplexing disorder. Researchers analyzed a large Israeli military database to determine whether there was a correlation between paternal age and the incidence of autism and related disorders. It found that children of men who became a father at 40 or older were 5.75 times as likely to have an autism disorder as those whose fathers were younger than 30.Some studies suggest that the risk of sporadic single-gene mutations may be four to five times higher for fathers who are 45 and older, compared with fathers in their 20s. Over all, having an older father is estimated to increase the risk of a birth defect by 1 percent, against a background 3 percent risk for a birth defect. 

 

Many men maintain their fertility, said Dr. Rebecca Z. Sokol, president of the Society of Male Reproduction and Urology.“If you look at males over 35-40, yes, there is a decline in the number of sperm being produced, and there may be a decline in the amount of testosterone,” Dr. Sokol said. But by and large, she added, “the sperm can still do their job." Analyses of sperm samples from healthy men have found changes as men age, including increased fragmentation of DNA, and some studies outside the United States have noted increased rates of some cancers in children of older fathers.

 

Coincidentally , these studies were discussed this morning on 103.5 Kiss FM.  Men were calling in to say how their wives were putting off the children in order to pursue other goals.  Both men and women also called in to express how they felt that the women were being selfish and should reconsider.  For the percentage of men that do want to start a family and look forward to being a daddy, do women need to rethink their master plan and focus on starting families before getting any older?  And if they feel strongly on putting off children and decide to wait in their mid - late 30s, are they really being selfish or avoiding the risks? 

 

Right when the shoe is on the other foot we find it right back on ours!