Older fathers and potential mental/autism risk!

[mspanky]

Science has always told us the health risk of older women having babies too late in life. But now they are finding out as men's sperm age, their potential like older eggs to cause health risk to children get bigger.

http://autism-prevention.blogspot.com/

[mspanky]

 Interesting, no feedback. Where are the guys who think much older men with younger women are the "perfect coouple"  because the old guy may want kids and older women have bad eggs. It seems when "old sperm " may be as bad as old eggs there are no comments.

[William3rd]

Uhhh- I am done reproducing so it doesnt apply to me. as far as my 40 year old sperm with a 25 year old egg, we did OK. Dont know about the oldsters. . . . .

[SANDRO43]

as far as my 40 year old sperm with a 25 year old egg, we did OK.

Only because you looked not a day older than 28  .

[2tallbill]

I am always kinda skeptical about studies when they first come out.

Coffee is good for you, then its bad, then its good, I think its bad now I can't remember.

Warning studies show that worrying too much about studies causes health risks!!!

Just my two kopecks,

Bill

[tjk]

Warning studies show that worrying too much about studies causes health risks!!!

Know that is a study that is right on the money. Without a doubt......

But fear not, I am sure that they are probably working on a little green pill for that as we are writing this.
It would go some thing like this. First you take the little blue pill for YOU KNOW, then 3 and a half hours prior to YOU KNOW you take the little green pill to help out your little workers for YOU KNOW..

                    

[William3rd]

Only because you looked not a day older than 28  .

Sandro- How did you know? 

[BillyB]

Good quality sperm could be worth $3000-$6000 per donation and all expenses paid if you are to travel. But you can't be over 38 yo. Need a job?

http://www.spermdonorsinc.com/How_To_Be_A_Donor.html

[mspanky]

BillyB,

 Thanks for the link!!!

[Muj]

mspanky,

The defects associated with older fathers seems second order as compared to the common defects as listed in the following link, not a blog :

http://obgyn.health.ivillage.com/pregnancybasics/birthdefects5.cfm

Didn't find any of the above listed under your link  :noidea:

[Turboguy]

The first article quoted was probably written by a 50 year old woman whose 55 year old husband just left her for a 25 Y.O. RW.   

Personally I think it is a serious consideration for anyone but I do think the first article paints things a little blacker than they are in reality.   I think it could even make a 40 year old whose genes have been deterorating and mutating for decades afraid to father a child.

[mspanky]

 I think it makes logical sense that older sperm and eggs may not be as healthy and pose bigger risk. Probably why sperm donors are so young and egg donors too..

 As for the hype, I agree it may be. Though I have heard repeatedly women over 35 have a high risk for dow syndrome ,I have not yet to anyone who had a child past 35 with down syndrome. And the U.S. has lots  of older mothers. I met a 19 year old girl with a child who had down syndrome so there may be a hype there too. But though few people will personally see women over 35 with retarded kids,we take it as law old eggs are hugely risky.

[Brianinaz]

There is a basic difference between eggs and sperm. A 40 yo women has 40 yo eggs. A 40 man has sperm that is a day or two old. The template may be 40 but not the sperm. A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have. The chromosomal abnormalities in women have to do with the process of egg formation. Humans have 46 chromosomes or 2 copies of 23 different chromosomes. In all cells but reproductive cells the cells divide by a process called mitosis. The chromosomes are exactly copied and the cell splits in half and them there are two cells with 46 chromosomes. For reproductive cells the number of chromosomes must be reduced by half so that when the egg and sperm merge there is 46 chromosomes rather than 92. THis process is called meiosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiosis ). In egg formation the process begins while the woman is still a fetus. In the process of reducing the number of chromosomes by half they all line up in a row in the middle of the cell ant fibers extend form each end of the cell somewhat like cables on a suspension bridge and pull the to one side or the other. When a woman is still a fetus egg formation the process gets to the point where the fibers attach to the chromosomes and then it stops. The process isn't finished until the woman beging an ovulatory cycle. So when a woman gets to 40 those fibers have been attached to those chromosomes for 40 years and that's where the problem lies. The aged fibers and attachments don't always work the way their suppose to. So when the cell completes the division process instead of each cell getting 23 chromosomes sometimes one cell gets 22 and the other 24. The result is the syndromes that we see ie Down's syndrom is trisomy 21 which means instead of having the normal 2 copies of chromosome 21 there are 3, two from the egg and 1 from the sperm. This process does not occur with sperm formation. They are made continuously. 

[acrzybear]

Good quality sperm could be worth $3000-$6000 per donation and all expenses paid if you are to travel. But you can't be over 38 yo. Need a job?

That's one way to pay for your FSU trips! 

"not tonight dear, I gave at the office"

[Muj]

Brianinaz,

Very informative.   One article I read states 50% of all birth defects exist at the time of conception -  contributed from parents.  I have met downs syndrome kids.  The one schizo person I know had young parents.  So as we know the large risk is from an older mom as compared to an older dad.

[Bruce]

Feminazi scientists are trying their best......................but how do they explain Tony Randle?

[ScottinCrimea]

I'm sorry if I don't take seriously a blog by someone who calls herself "concerned heart" living "Somewhere in the US" seriously  Obviously on a mission of some sort for some reason.  Anytime someone cites studies that say "possibly" and "might be linked" with the words, "It's a well known fact..." you have to question their objectivity.  It may well be that she has an autistic child and is trying to find some way to blame it on the father and remove her self-imposed guilt.

I laughed when I checked some of the references because the authors of the first article also wrote one with the conclusion "Taller individuals with longer legs have a higher risk of cancer but a lower risk of coronary heart disease"  so maybe we need to factor height and length of legs into our marriage choices.

But seriously, while there is some suggestion that older paternal age may influence some birth defects, the jury is really still out and pales in comparison to the maternal influence.

[mspanky]

 I wonder oif scientist are exxagerating the maternal age influencing down syndrome too. Am I the only one who has noticed noone I know who had a child over 35 has a retarded kid? If this is a huge risk factor where are they?
In my family alone my grandmother had 9 kids, the lat one at 44. all are ok.

 But I'll take one here. Does anyone know a woman who had a child over 35 who'se child has  down syndrome or other defects?

[chivo]

Actually I remember, or heard that the age for women and down syndrome was post 40.

nevertheless, I agree with Scott. It seems that the scientists change their minds, or the research in some cases seems to contradict itself over time.

I knew of one woman who gave birth to a baby with down syndrome, and she was under 30.

What was great about the situation was that both parents love the baby so much, and often talked about how much they learned about life and themselves after the baby was born. To the point that when they talked about the baby, they would at times refer to it as having "up" syndrome.

Life is often how you look at it. Good luck.

chivo

[ScottinCrimea]

You know, now that I think about it, all of the down's syndrome kids I can think of were born to women under 35.  I hadn't really paid that much attention before.  Maybe it's just that there is a higher probability for those over 35 but a higher incidence in those under 35 because they have more kids.

[mspanky]

 I don't know. There are a whole new generation of women over 35 having kids. In fact having kids later in life seems to be the norm. Yet, I can't recall; anyone I personally know who has had a child at the age of 35 or over to have one with down syndrome.

   Can anybody think of someone they know with this situation?  We accept what were told as facts. In fact,many men I know will purposely avoid women close to 35 when they are in the search because they want kids. I mean men close to 50.

[Leslie]

The sources quoted in this thread are specious.  Anecdotal evidence is of little value.  The true statistics are published in some medical journal which will be so jargon bound that the average guy will be asleep before he reaches page 3…

We are sprogging now and we have been through the pregnancy screening tests.  Downs was included because we were “high risk”  (oh by the way this means > 1 in 50000!)  Tests were negative.  All the tests were negative but Toma still turned out to be a little monster - at times 

Sure as you get older the % of defective sperm rises.  If this worries you, get yourself checked at a fertility clinic. We did.  My sperm count was “normal”  I was also told that curtailing alcohol is important for fertility.  A 70 year old teetotaller may well have a better sperm count than a drunken college kid !  Oh and farm boys who have been handling pesticides better not even try to breed!

Would any of this bollocks deter us from starting a family.  No chance.

[BC]

No matter how many tests and exams are taken, it is always a miracle when a healthy child is born, a greater miracle being able to watch them grow into young adults.

We have been blessed.. Right now our parents from both sides, our 5 children and 3 grandchildren are all together here for a rare family get-together.  4 generations under one roof with 4 nationalities and 4 languages at the dinner table.  Ever heard of having a younger uncle? or a 30 year old grandma?

What is this RWD world coming to....







 

[Muj]

An estimated 7.9 million babies are born each year with a serious birth defect of genetic or partially genetic origin, according to the March of Dimes. The cause of a large number of birth defects – up to 70 percent – remains unknown.
http://obgyn.health.ivillage.com/pregnancybasics/birthdefects.cfm
Once again the autism risk is low in comparison to other risks.

[BillyB]

7.9 million babies born with birth defects a year? In America it's just 120,000 or about 1 out of every 33 babies. I suspect it's a worse ratio elsewhere. I don't know if the March of Dimes fluff up the numbers to help improve donations but if you have a healthy child, be thankful.

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/4439_1206.asp

mspanky, I hope you make good use out of that link I gave you earlier. And when you spread your seed and populate this World with mspanky Jr's, I hope you remember who helped you find a job and show a little gratitude in the form of cash.