Ageing fathers ‘increase deformity risk’

Scientists have suggested that a deterioration in sperm quality as men get older leads to a heightened risk of deformities, dwarfism and other genetic diseases being passed on to children.

Researchers from the University of California found that sperm DNA fragmentation increased proportionately with the ageing of fathers. No link between age and the quality of sperm had previously been established.

Other failing factors identified by the study include declining sperm counts and a gradual loss of sperm mobility, leading the paper’s authors to suggest that men as well as women face a “biological body clock”.

“Our research suggests that men, too, have a biological time clock – only it is different,” said co-lead author Brenda Eskenazi of the University of California.

“Men seem to have a gradual rather than an abrupt change in fertility and in the potential ability to produce viable healthy offspring.”

As Andrew Wyrobek of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory pointed out, delaying having children could result in the resulting offspring paying the price.

“This study shows that men who wait until they’re older to have children are not only risking difficulties conceiving, they could also be increasing the risk of having children with genetic problems,” he said.

With demographic changes caused by social and economic factors like rising house prices causing a trend towards delaying parenthood, today’s news will not be welcomed by many middle-aged parents.

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