Postponing fatherhood is also a bad idea for men
Labor instability, low salaries, prolongation of training. These are some of the reasons that make couples postpone more and more the decision to be parents. There have been few studies that have shown the risks for the mother to delay the maternity and that increase the possibility of infertility, as well as other dangers for the baby.
But these risks do not only affect the mother. In the case of father, postponing fatherhood is also a bad idea. The age of the father influences the possibility of generating a child and also increases the chances that the child will experience growth problems or chromosomal abnormalities that lead to Down syndrome.
Sperm oxidation
From the Institut Marquès man is warned of the risk of postponing fatherhood. These professionals also warn that the father, like the mother, has a biological clock whose times must be respected. Over the years can produce changes in the seminogram and oxidation of sperm, thus reducing the fertilizing capacity of the male.
In addition, the passage of time also causes damage to the genetic material contained in the sperm. These alterations may be the cause of future diseases in the children. The physiological aging of the male reproductive system manifests itself in three aspects:
- Very slow but progressive reduction of the seminal volume.
- The percentage of maximum mobility sperm is reduced.
- Oxidation and cause of lesions in DNA chain of sperm.
Effects on children
The passage of time influences the quality of sperm and this not only reduces the possibility of having children. It also causes mutations to appear in them. The risk of spontaneous mutations of a gene can be 5 times greater in a father of 45 than in one of 20 years. It also highlights that women are more likely to suffer an abortion from these alterations.
Regarding the effects on the children, the Institut Marquès highlights the following as the most frequent due to the alteration of the sperm:
- Chromosomal anomalies. It is estimated that 10% of the Down Syndromes and up to 40% of the Klinefelter syndromes "de novo" are related to the father's age above 55 years.
- Diseases such as achondroplasic dwarfism, new cases of neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, Marfan, Apert syndrome, aniridia and bilateral retinoblastoma.
- Other pathologies such as schizophrenia and autism. Late motherhood and fatherhood increase the risk of having a child with an autistic spectrum: every 5 years that parents meet increases odds by 18%.
- Even grandchildren may be more at risk for some anomalies that do not occur in the daughter of an elderly father: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, fragile X syndrome and some types of hemophilia.
- Genetic mutations. Abnormal mutations in a group of cells and give rise to a tumor, or mutations in the reproductive cells and give rise to the birth of children with hereditary diseases.
Damián Montero
