Paternity at a later age is possible, but there are risks for the child
Old-age fatherhood is on the global agenda. According to experts, natural fatherhood is possible if the man does not have any problems, such as erectile dysfunction. In men, like menopause in women, there is no such thing as andropause, a phase where fertility stops completely. With the rise in life expectancy, the number of men considering becoming fathers at a later age is also increasing. Sometimes the desire to become a mother because the woman is younger and has no children, and sometimes the man decides to become a father at a later age, men can also experience the feeling of fatherhood after the age of 50-60 or even 70. However, scientific studies have shown that due to the various changes that occur in sperm, especially after the age of 40, various disorders, including psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, stillbirth or some childhood cancers, and even paternity girls after the also increases the risk of developing breast cancer in children later in life. The fact that Robert De Niro, one of the most famous actors in Hollywood, became a father at the age of 79 and the announcement that the 29-year-old girlfriend of the 83-year-old Al Pacino was 8 months pregnant, prompted discussions about this matter.
“NOT SO GREAT”
Member of the Board of the European Andrology Association and Faculty Member of the Department of Urology of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine Prof. dr. Dr. Ateş Kadıoğlu said that the fact that Al Pacino had a child at the age of 83 was interpreted as surprising news by society, but in fact was not so surprising. Prof. Dr. Kadıoğlu said: “If we look at sperm count and sexual life in old men, two conditions must be met for pregnancy to take place. One is normal erection, the second is sufficient sperm count and motility Even after age 50, menopause is like women’s menopause. After age 40, men’s functions also decline, but they never stop like women. This is the big difference.”
“SPERM PRODUCTION IS POSSIBLE UP TO 150 YEARS”
Noting that menopause causes a decline and pause in estrogen production in women, estrogen levels drop dramatically at the age of 47-50 on average and it can become impossible for women to reproduce. Dr. Kadıoğlu emphasized that such a situation is not in question for men in a physiological sense. Prof. Dr. Kadıoğlu said: “The decrease in testosterone in men does not parallel the decrease in estradiol in women. The decrease in testosterone in men occurs at a rate of 1 percent each year. According to calculations, when a man reaches age from 150, the decrease in testosterone reaches a level comparable to the decrease in estradiol/estrogen in menopausal women. In other words, there is no such thing as andropause in men. What happens in terms of sperm production? If we look at the volume of the testicles, if we look at the volume of the testicles, if we look at the volume of the testicles, it normally drops to 20 cubic centimeters / 20 grams by the age of 25-30, and it decreases to 15 grams., the testicular volume decreases by a quarter. “In . said.
“RISK OF CHIZOPHRENIA IS INCREASED IN CHILDREN OF FATHERS OVER 50”
prof. Dr. Kadıoğlu said: “Is there a problem during pregnancy? There are many scientific studies on this topic. Normally, the rate of chromosomal abnormalities is about 2.8 percent. But at the age of 50-60, this rate rises to 12 .5 percent.”This is natural. It is reflected in the unborn child and some abnormalities may occur in the baby. Morphological abnormalities can also occur, such as kidney and heart disease. In fact, the risk of schizophrenia in children of men older than 50 years. age increases. There is scientific data on that. It has been scientifically proven that the incidence of these diseases and abnormalities is much higher in a father than in men under the age of 35. the genetic structure of DNA, which we call sperm DNA damage, and accordingly some pathologies such as recurrent miscarriages and stillbirths can be found.” said.
“THE RISK OF CHROMOSOME ANOMALY INCREASES 5 TIMES”
Prof. Dr. Kadıoğlu stated that since women are followed with screening programs in pregnancies over 35 years of age, there is no need to monitor pregnancies in this way due to paternity at an advanced age, and more scientific data is needed for this. Down syndrome in women over a certain age or other genetic abnormalities are much more risky. If the man is old and if the woman is younger, these risks can be offset to some extent, but even if the woman’s age factor is excluded, if the man becomes a father after a certain age, the child will have heart defects, kidney defects, various bone-musculoskeletal disorders, blood diseases. Chromosomal abnormalities increase 5 times. Basically, men can have children at any age, but there are some risks or side effects associated with it. These are closely monitored by ultrasound during pregnancy in the womb, and these abnormalities are eliminated with prenatal diagnosis and a healthy child can be obtained. It is possible to do this,” he said.