A study conducted at the University of California in Los Angeles and published in the journal Human Reproduction states that the biological clock for procreation in men also works. The scientists found that the older men are, the more likely they are to be parents of children with Down syndrome or a variety of limb defects. As the ovules age, as well as sperm accumulate genetic mutations that can lead to a decrease in fertility.
In 2002, scientists from the University of Washington published a study on sperm quality in 60 men between 22 and 60 years. They determined that men 35 years or older had more sperm with broken DNA chains and that the sperm was less active, suggesting that their chances of successfully fertilizing an egg are much lower. In the latest study, epidemiologist Jorn Olsen, from the University of California, Los Angeles, used the Dutch Fertility Database, which contains information on 70,000 couples and their firstborn son, in search of differences between children with parents of more age. Men 50 and older were four times more likely to have a child with Down syndrome. Children with limb defects were also more common.
Approximately one in every 1,000 babies born to mothers under 30 has Down syndrome, a figure that transforms into one every 400 at 35 years and one every 105 at 40. With the study's conclusions, paternal age also It must be considered when forming a family when you are old.
