When a person heard the phrase “the biological clock is ticking”, they always thought of it as referring to women. Due to new research, we are finding this phrase refers to men as well.

A woman’s biological clock starts ticking at age 35 and a man’s at age 40, according to Dr. Rochebrochard, a researcher on the subject. Based on current bodies of research, the conclusion drawn is that age matters for men for paternity.

As men age, the risk of problems with infertility increases. California scientists, in a study done in 2003, showed that sperm motility and semen volume declined for men over 50.

The DNA in male sperm is more likely to undergo damage as paternal age advances. Health habits of the male plays a role in DNA fragmentation. Factors such as smoking, diet and chemical exposure contributed to the condition of the DNA in the male sperm.

Late in life paternity has been linked to higher risk of health problems in offspring such as schizophrenia, autism and dwarfism.

New evidence and data continue to come in as more research is being done. Certainly, paternal age is a factor to consider in the decision to father a child for men. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 30th, 2006 at 11:09 pm and is filed under Medical News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.