I’m 80 years old and want to have a child with my partner half my age… here is what doctors think

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are among a group of A-listers in the old dad club, both having had children at the ages of 83 and 79 respectively.

Now an octogenarian who is considering doing the same has asked about the health implications of fathering a child later in life.

Seeking anonymous advice, the 80-year-old wrote a letter to Dr. Keith Roach, who writes a weekly health-focused column in The Oregonian.

He explained that he is “pretty healthy” for his age, but is “concerned about any problems with my old genes and any birth defects that could be caused by them.”

He notes that his partner, who is of childbearing age (usually between 15 and 45 years old), wants them to have a child, but they want to get a medical opinion before proceeding.

In his response, Dr. Roach says he often gets this question from his patients, “but usually when they’re in their 60s or 70s.” [and] 80 is quite old to consider fathering a child.”

First, the doctor, who works at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital, emphasizes that not only women have a biological clock; fertility rates also decline as a man ages, and risks increase.

Studies have shown that the chance of conception is 30 percent lower in men over 40 years of age. In addition, the risk of genetic mutations is higher, with conditions such as Down syndrome, autism and childhood cancer being more common in children with older fathers.

Dr. Leen Alhafez and Dr. Heather Fisher, both fertility experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas, say there are several reasons for reduced fertility, including semen volume, total sperm count and sperm motility (how well the sperm can move). towards the egg) all decrease as men age.’

Age-related factors contributing to these changes range from shrinking or softening of the testicles to declining levels of the male sex hormone testosterone.

A 2001 study found that men over age 60 had 20 percent lower testosterone levels, men over age 70 had 33 percent lower testosterone levels, and men over age 80 had 50 percent lower testosterone levels.

said dr. Roach in his column that a difference in a man’s fertility is ‘apparent by age 35’, but for potential fathers in their 80s there is not enough comprehensive data or research.

He then says that if the reader and his partner are able to successfully conceive, there is “an increased risk of harmful genetic conditions and birth defects that are more likely in children with older fathers.”

Dr. Alhafez and Dr. Fisher explain that while a woman is born with “all the eggs she will ever have,” a man is “constantly producing new sperm cells that divide and multiply approximately every 16 days.”

At age 20, they note that a man’s sperm cells have undergone approximately 150 divisions and that this number may increase to 800 by the time he is 50.

Because of this division, there is an increased risk of various genetic mutations.

Dr. Roach says some of the conditions associated with advanced paternal age include Down syndrome, epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders and some heart conditions.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are among a group of A-listers in the old dad club, both having had children at the ages of 83 and 79 respectively

Research has also shown a link between advanced paternal age and several forms of childhood cancer, such as leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dr. However, Alhafez and Dr. Fisher note that “these diseases are multifactorial, meaning they are caused by a complex combination of genetic and non-genetic factors, including environmental and lifestyle factors.”

Genetics aside, doctors all point to research showing that babies born to men over 45 are at greater risk of low birth weight, being born prematurely and requiring care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Dr. However, Roach says the “magnitude of the effect is modest.”

He adds: ‘On average, 1 in 50 pregnancies with a father under the age of 30 will have one of the most common health problems studied in couples. For children with a father over 50, this is 1 in 38.’

Another issue Dr. Roach asks the reader to consider is whether he will be around to see his child grow up and be there as a father.

To put things into perspective, he writes: ‘The average 80-year-old man has a life expectancy of just under eight years.

‘If you are substantially healthier than average, or if your parents lived a very long time, this number may be slightly better.

“But the average 80-year-old (assuming your partner has the child while you’re still 80) is unlikely to see his or her child reach their 10th birthday. The premature death of a father has negative consequences for the physical and mental health of a child.’

Taking all these factors into account, the doctor concludes that there are “significant risks” for the octogenarian to give birth to a child.