February 7, 2008

scientists comment on research into paternal age and birth problems

The research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found that serious birth problems were more of a risk for fathers under the age of 20 than for older fathers.

Dr. Allan Pacey, Senior Lecturer in Andrology at the University of Sheffield and Secretary of the British Fertility Society, said:

“It would be easy to point the finger at younger father’s sperm and say that they were inadequate in some way. But that bucks the trend of many studies that have shown that there are increasing sperm DNA defects as men get older. A far more convincing explanation for the finding in this study is that older men are simply better able to provide for their pregnant partners than younger (teenage) fathers. It makes sense that babies born to older (sugar) daddies probably have a better start to life.”

Neil McClure, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen’s University Belfast, said:

“This American study reports the effects of paternal age on the wellbeing of babies from the birth records and statistics of 2.6 million births to women aged between 20-29. They found that where the father was aged under 20 the children had an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age births, low Apgar score and infant mortality) even when other factors such as maternal age, the increased incidence of a lower maternal education level and higher maternal smoking during pregnancy were taken into account.

“It must be remembered, however, that teenage fathers are more likely to come from economically disadvantaged families and to have lower educational attainment, and these socio-economic factors are known to be associated with a number of poor health outcomes. People from less affluent backgrounds are also less likely to utilize prenatal care services leading to an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes. Thirdly, it is possible that the poorer social environment may in itself contribute to adverse birth outcomes through increased domestic violence and lack of financial or emotional support. Lifestyle factors suspected of playing a role in the occurrence of adverse birth outcomes such as illicit drug use, smoking and alcohol drinking are also more prevalent in teenage fathers. These factors are also related to adverse reproductive outcomes.

“This fascinating study does, though, raise the possibility of a pathological link between paternal age and pregnancy outcome, one mechanism for which, the authors suggest, may be through an association with abnormal placentation.”