Men who delay starting a family have a ticking ‘biological clock’ — just like women— that may affect the health of their partners and children, according to the researchers. Men who delay fatherhood should consult their doctor and consider banking sperm before age 35, said the study which reviewed 40 years of research on the effect of parental age on fertility, pregnancy and the health of children.
“While it is widely accepted that physiological changes that occur in women after 35 can affect conception, pregnancy and the health of the child, most men do not realise their advanced age can have an impact,” said Gloria Bachmann, Director of the Women's Health Institute at Rutgers University's Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The study, published in Maturitas, found that men aged 45 and older can experience decreased fertility and put their partners at risk for increased pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes and preterm birth.
