We hear a lot about women’s biological clock and how age affects the chance of pregnancy. New research shows men’s fertility is also affected by age. When dads are over 50, the risk of pregnancy complications increases.
Data from more than 46 million births in the United States between 2011 and 2022 compared fathers in their 30s with fathers in their 50s. While taking into account the age of the mother and other factors known to affect pregnancy outcomes, the researchers found every ten-year increase in paternal age was linked to more complications. The researchers found that compared to couples where the father was aged 30–39, for couples where the dad was in his 50s, there was a: 16% increased risk of preterm birth 14% increased risk of low birth weight 13% increase in gestational diabetes.
The older fathers were also twice as likely to have used assisted reproductive technology, including IVF, to conceive than their younger counterparts. Dads are getting older In this US study , the mean age of all fathers increased from 30.8 years in 2011 to 32.
1 years in 2022. In that same period, the proportion of men aged 50 years or older fathering a child increased from 1.1% to 1.
3%. We don’t know the proportion of men over 50 years who father children in Australia, but data shows the average age of fathers has increased. In 1975 the median age of Australian dads was 28.
6 years. This jumped to 33.7 years in 2022.
How male age affects getting pregnant As we know from media rep.