The biological clock impacts the opportunity to be a father

Not only women but men also have biological clocks, their chances of becoming fathers have decreased since entering middle age - according to research published at the annual meeting of the Society of Biomedical Sciences. Last US property in Florida state.

Women often have pressure to get married before the age of 40, when their chance of pregnancy (whether natural or intervention by assisted reproductive technology) begins to decline markedly due to the number and quality of eggs. reduction. But now, research by Huntingdon Reproductive Medicine Center experts in Brazil also suggests that men should not delay getting married if they want to hold children.

The study, led by Dr. Paula Fettback, analyzed the results of 570 infertility treatments in vitro fertilization (IVF) from March 2008 to April this year. To ensure the age of women does not affect research results, experts only use eggs of young and healthy women. The results showed that compared to the successful group of young men who performed IVF, the average age of the male fertilized group failed to be 'high' - 45 years old.

Further analysis, experts discovered when the husband at 41, the chance to make their wives pregnant only 60%.'Every year an increase in age, male father's ability to decline 7%,' Dr. Fettback said. At 45 years of age, their chances of having a baby are only 35% and will decrease more later. 'In the face of the tendency of many men to choose to give birth at an older age, it is important to understand the effects of age on sperm quality , ' she said.

Another study introduced at the conference also supported the results. Accordingly, only 35% of 'middle-aged' male rats successfully fertilized, while this proportion in younger mice was 75%. Not only that, many embryos created by old mice have also been damaged during the preparation phase of IVF. Researchers at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (USA) said that although men produce sperm continuously every day, this 'machine' can degrade and malfunction over time. Furthermore, errors in genes can pass through sperm when men get older.

Meanwhile, Charles Kingsland, an obstetrician at Liverpool Obstetrics Hospital, said that the quality of eggs is a determining factor in the outcome of conception, because according to him, men produce sperm every day. women produce term eggs. He advised prospective fathers to protect reproductive health with a healthy diet, no smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, regular exercise and avoiding hot baths, because sperm enjoys cold water.

Anyhow, experts recommend that men give birth to children when they are still better. Many studies show that children of older fathers have a higher risk of heart defects, autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy, and even double the risk of dying before adulthood.