The question of how the age of parents affects the health of the child has long been of concern to scientists. Despite numerous studies carried out, the question remains relevant today. This happens due to the fact that research results are often very different, and sometimes they are directly opposite. So, some researchers argue that healthy offspring can only be born to young parents, others claim that children of an older couple are always more viable and tend to longevity.
Instructions
Step 1
The age of the man
The age of the father has less influence on the health of the child than the age of the mother. Although the synthesis of sex hormones in men decreases by the age of 45-60, however, this does not mean a complete extinction of their reproductive capacity. The natural biorhythm of a decrease in the synthesis of testosterone (the main sex hormone) is approximately 1% in each subsequent year. This means that even at 80 years old, a man can have a decrease in testosterone production by about 25-50% in relation to the norm. This is a good, if not excellent, indicator in terms of conceiving a child.
True, the chances of becoming a father at this age are less, spermatozoa are no longer so mobile and viable, but the assertion that such fathers have children with pathologies is, according to doctors, a myth, no more. That is, such a possibility is not excluded, but it has little to do with the age of the man.
Step 2
Still, some scientists are inclined to believe that the “contribution” of older fathers to the child's health carries risks. So, in the scientific environment studying this issue, it is generally accepted that men who have crossed the half-century milestone are 15-20% more likely to transmit autosomal dominant diseases to their offspring, this is due to improper cell division. These diseases include neurofibromatosis (changes in the nervous system and mutations in the skin), Aper's syndrome (abnormalities of the skull and hands), dwarfism (achondroplasia), as well as autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, tumors and congenital heart disease.
Despite the existence of risks, practice shows that elderly fathers are not uncommon in our time and that they have healthy, beautiful, and often brilliant children. It's just that at this age a man must reason sensibly and, before having offspring, be sure to undergo medical genetic counseling. You should talk frankly with a geneticist and point out all congenital malformations over the last 3 generations in order to determine or exclude a defective gene by a doctor. And a man should also take a spermogram for sperm quality.
Step 3
Woman's age
Alas, for a woman after 36-40 years of age, the risk of giving birth to a defective child increases. The most common genetic pathology is Down syndrome. More than one generation of geneticists is struggling to unravel the mechanism of this phenomenon, but so far no one can give an unambiguous answer. Meanwhile, the fact remains: in women under 35, every 400th is born with Down syndrome, in 40-year-old mothers with this disease, every 109 babies are born, in women over 45, every 32nd child has Down syndrome.
A woman over 35 is also at risk of giving birth to an insulin-dependent child (type I diabetes). At 35, the risk rises by 20-25%, and then increases with each five-year period. So, for a woman after 45 years of age, the risk of giving birth to a child who will develop diabetes by the age of 18-20 rises 3 times.
Step 4
In the conditions of the poor state of the ecosphere, as a result of improper or unbalanced nutrition, as well as bad habits and a sedentary lifestyle, the health of many women over 40 cannot be called excellent. Often a large bouquet of diseases has accumulated by this age. Of course, this can also affect the health of the unborn child. Sad statistics …
However, modern means of prenatal diagnostics and the latest medical advances in the field of pregnancy can significantly raise the age bar for women who carry and give birth to healthy babies.
