Am I too old? While certain risks may rise with age, men continue to produce sperm throughout their lives and can father healthy children into old age.
Absolutely. So my advice for other would-be, could-be or soon-to-be fathers is as follows….. Regardless of your age, if you and your partner both feel ready (or almost ready) then don't wait.
Paternal age is among the most significant factors affecting a couple's chance of conceiving and their pregnancy outcomes. Men over the age of 35–40 typically experience a decrease in sperm health, which affects: Pregnancy rates. Pregnancy rates decrease with paternal age.
A recent study of more than 40.5 million births in the United States revealed potentially harmful effects of advanced paternal age on a baby's risk of prematurity, low birth weight, low Apgar score and risk of seizures, as well as the mother's chances of developing gestational diabetes.
With age, you're also at a higher risk for disorders that affect your fertility. If you get pregnant at 40 to 45 years old, experts consider this a “late” pregnancy. But it's still possible to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby in your 40s. Childbirth at older ages has become more common too.
Risks for chromosome abnormalities by maternal age
The chance of having a child affected by Down syndrome increases from about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who conceives at age 25, to about 1 in 100 for a woman who conceives at age 40.
You'll be around for less time in your child's life
Since you are older, it stands to reason that you'll be around for your child for less of their life than if you had them earlier in your life. So the idea here is if you aren't maximizing the amount of time you can be around, then you're being selfish.
There's no maximum age that stops a man from being able to have a baby. You can become a father long into your older years, but there are risks.
Dr. Fisch and his colleagues found that the rate of Down syndrome steadily increased with advancing paternal age for the maternal age group of 35 to 39 years. The greatest increase, however, was seen in the maternal age group of 40 years and older with increasing paternal age.
The average age men become fathers is 27.4. The average age women become mothers is 24, consistent with findings from the U.S. Census Bureau (2011). Men, on average, are three years older than women when they become parents. This gap has remained fairly stable over the past two decades.
Generally speaking, the older a father's age, the greater the risk. For example, men who were 45 or older were 14 percent more likely to have a child born prematurely, and men 50 or older were 28 percent more likely to have a child that required admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
RESULTS: Older men had lower semen volume (mean semen volume 1.8 versus 3.2 ml; P <0.0001) and total sperm output (median 74 versus 206 million sperm per ejaculate; P <0.0001), whereas sperm density (median 64 versus 73 million sperm/ml; P =0.12) was non-significantly decreased.
Of the roughly 4 million births each year in the U.S., about 9 percent of fathers are over 40.
The age where a man is most fertile is between 22 and 25 years. It is suggested to have children before the age of 35. After this age, the male fertility begins to worsen.
The moral: Just like women, it's time to start thinking about kids when you turn 30. Fisch typically recommends trying even earlier in your late 20s, but having a healthy baby at age 40 is absolutely possible.
Maternal age
A 25-year-old has a one in 1,200 chance of having a baby with Down syndrome. By 35 years of age, the risk increases to one in 350—and it becomes one in 100 by the age of 40. The chances of Down syndrome further increase to one in 30 by age 45, according to the National Down Syndrome Society.
At the age of 33, the chance of your baby being diagnosed with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) during pregnancy is approximately 1/400. At the age of 40, this chance increases to 1/70. By age 45, this chance is about 1/19. The chance of developing congenital disabilities also increases with age.
Both men and women can pass the genetic translocation for Down syndrome on to their children. Having had one child with Down syndrome. Parents who have one child with Down syndrome and parents who have a translocation themselves are at an increased risk of having another child with Down syndrome.
Am I too old? While certain risks may rise with age, men continue to produce sperm throughout their lives and can father healthy children into old age.
A recent study in the USA found that there are additional risks for the baby, demonstrating that fathers older than 45 had a 14 per cent greater chance of their babies being born prematurely and at low birth weight (each of which can cause long-term complications).
Research has found that older parents tend to be more positive in their parenting roles. 4 That positive parenting attitude may translate into kids that grow up to have fewer behavioral, social or emotional difficulties.
Emotional maturity and financial stability are two of the greatest advantages for women who choose to have a baby in their 40s. Plus, spouse or partner relationships are likely to be stable as well. In addition, there is the surprising boost in brain power that can come from becoming a mother later in life!
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline becomes more rapid once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely for most women.
At age 35, the risk of having a baby with chromosomal abnormalities is 1/192, but by age 40, the risk climbs to 1/66 (almost 2%).