Recently two papers were published in the journal Fertility and Sterility Various disadvantages of increased paternal age have been detected on offspring outcomes. paternal age is The rate has increased dramatically over the past 40 years in the US, and the trend appears to be continuing. The average age of parenthood has increased from 27.4 to 30.9 years in the last 40 years.
In the 1970s, 4% of births were to fathers over the age of 40; Today that number is 9%. Even in the 1970s, one in two hundred births was to a father over 50; Today this number has doubled. Unfortunately, increased paternal age has a significant impact on conception, pregnancy and the health of the offspring. Children of older men are at higher risk of genetic disorders, congenital abnormalities, neurodevelopmental disorders and malignancies.
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine And American Urological Association have released the Joint Male Infertility Guidelines, which include the recommendation that “clinicians should counsel couples with advanced paternal age (≥40 years) that their offspring are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes (3).” Spermatogonial stem cells are cells that divide and divide throughout a man’s lifetime to produce sperm. Spontaneous changes occur, and are then normally present in all spermatozoa of a man. It can be estimated Sperm produced from a 25-year-old male may have undergone ∼350 replications, whereas a 45-year-old male would have undergone ∼750 replications to maintain sperm production.
First Paper, Title Effect of paternal age on new mutations and disease in the next generation, show that on average about 1–2 additional mutations arise in the child’s genome per additional year of age in the father. Thus, the number of mutations doubles with each additional 20 years of paternal age.
Paper II, Title The risky business of advanced paternal age: Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial implications for children of older fathersrevealed that “children and even grandchildren of older fathers have a significantly increased incidence of mental illness and behavioral impairments. The data are consistent with improved parenting among men with advanced paternal age (APA).” does not show behavioral evidence. Children of men with APA are more likely to experience early bereavement, which is associated with psychological and developmental consequences. Understanding the extent to which APA can negatively affect offspring essential for patient counseling and the development of practice guidelines. They found that “offspring risks begin to emerge by paternal age of 40 years and become formidable by paternal age of 50 years.”
Since more men are delaying having children for a variety of reasons, it is appropriate For these men to consider banking their sperm, Frozen spermatozoa do not divide and thus are not subject to copying errors inherent in ongoing sperm production, which tend to increase over time.
The optimal timing for this banking is subjective and unclear. However, if a man who is 35 years of age or older is anticipating that it will be five or more years before conceiving based on previous literature and the above papers, it may be wiser to preserve his sperm. Contact us to learn more about the sperm banking options available at Labyrinth.
