Conceiving is harder if the man is over 40

From MyLifestyle
MY PAPER TUESDAY JULY 8, 2008

COUPLES trying to have a baby when the man is over 40 will have more difficulty conceiving than if he is younger, French researchers said on Sunday.

Doctors know a woman’s age plays a key role but the findings presented at the European Society Of Human Reproduction And Embryology Conference suggest the paternal impact is stronger than earlier thought, Dr Stephanie Belloc and colleagues said.

The data shows a strong paternal effect on intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcome on pregnancy rates and also on miscarriage rates, Dr Belloc and her team from the Eylau Centre For Assisted Reproduction in France said.

Other researchers have indicated an overall decline in sperm counts and quality as a man ages, but until now there has been little clinical proof that simply being an older man has such a big effect on fertility.

The French team found that the risk of miscarriage was about 35 per cent higher for couples in which the man was past 40. The risk from a man younger than 30 is about 10 to 15 per cent.

The researchers said the link between a man’s age and DNA decay in sperm that causes it to fragment could be a likely explanation for miscarriages and low pregnancy rates.

“Until now, gynaecologists only focused on maternal age,” Dr Belloc added.

“But now the gynaecologists must also focus on paternal age and give this information to the couple.”

– REUTERS