for men the years count less, but they are not irrelevant – breaking latest news

There are many studies on the influence of the maternal years on the health of the unborn child and on the expectations of a peaceful pregnancy, but How important is the father’s age? Not much, according to two researches presented during the last congress of the European Society of Reproductive Medicine (ESHRE) by experts from the IVI clinics for assisted reproduction. The sample used for the studies is one of the largest for this type of research,” he explains Mauro Cozzolino, specialist in reproductive medicine at IVI Rome —: we are talking about 30,784 patients and 34,106 newborns and we have included males aged 21 to 54 years. We wanted to understand whether the sperm of an elderly father affects the obstetric health of the pregnant woman or that of the newborn. We have considered a series of indicators and the conclusions indicate that there are no relevant differences as regards the age of the fathers.

After 40 years

If, when it comes to becoming parents, advanced age generally also occurs for men from the age of 40, however, it seems that over the years there is no drop in sperm quality or male fertility. How come? One of the reasons for this difference between men and women purely biological — clarifies Daniel Galliano, director of the PMA Clinic in Rome, specialist in gynecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine —: women have a supply of follicles at birth, like a reserve, which “wears out” over the years and menstrual cycles, month after month . While in men, spermatogenesis occurs constantly, every day and at all times, and thus new cells are generated. This then also influences the fertilization characteristics because the sperms are not as old as the oocytes when fertilization is attempted.

Possible consequences for children

So can men become fathers at any age? Yes, in theory – concludes Galliano -. Practically, health problems often associated with aging lead to less than optimal sperm quality. It is however important that men are aware that having children at an advanced age can lead to an increased risk of certain pathologies in the offspring: some studies have shown that after the age of 50, and even more in the presence of genitourinary alterations or exposure to toxic substances (such as smoke and drugs), the danger of neurological problems such as autism and schizophrenia in children rises.