Older dads, at risk babies?

Older dads, at risk babies?

It's no secret that the babies of older women face greater risk of birth defects and conditions such as Down syndrome, but so do the children of older fathers.

Advanced paternal age, the medical term, has been linked to miscarriages, birth deformities, lower IQ, dwarfism and specific behavioural problems such as autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Some of the studies are inconclusive, but the evidence for an increased risk of schizophrenia is what Professor John McGrath, of the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland, describes as "robust". A 2011 joint Scandinavian- Australian study, one of a number McGrath has worked on, found that compared with the offspring of fathers aged 20 to 24 years, children whose fathers were 55 and over had a twofold increased risk of developing schizophrenia.

"With autism," he says, "the story is not perfectly clear, because that seems to be linked with the mother's age as well."

When it comes to increased pregnancy risks for women, there is a clear turning point from the age of 35 onwards.

There is no critical age threshold for fathers. The risk just steadily rises across a man's lifespan because of the furious rate of cell division.

McGrath says that at present there's no need for panic or public-health warnings about delayed fatherhood. The risks and benefits are not fully understood.

Awareness, however, does not hurt.

On the other hand, says McGrath, "having older parents is also pretty good on many outcomes as well".

"Older mothers and fathers tend to have more settled socio- economic status, get better healthcare for their children, their pregnancies tend to be planned and they get the proper care."

- © Fairfax NZ News