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An American study published in the British Medical Journal reveals that fathers over 45 give birth to babies with poorer health.
Between 2007 and 2016, researchers studied 40,529,905 births in the United States. They looked at the age of the fathers and the consequences on the baby's health. The results of the study are published in the British Medical Journal. Conclusion? Older fathers give birth to poorer children.
The researchers took into account gestation time, baby weight, Apgar score (evaluation of the child's vitality at birth), admission rate in a neonatal unit, need for antibiotics and the number of caesareans. Factors on the mother's side have also been studied: diabetes during pregnancy and the number of pre-eclampsia (syndrome responsible for premature births and intrauterine growth retardation).
More premature babies
What risks? The health of the baby, on the one hand. The study points to an increased risk of premature births, lighter babies with a lower Apgar score than those born to younger fathers.
Fathers over the age of 45 have an additional 14% chance of giving birth to a premature baby. On the Caesarean side, researchers found between 2007 and 2016 that children whose father was over 45 years of age had an additional 18% risk of not being born naturally, compared to children born to elderly father between 25 and 34 years old.
Surprisingly, the father's age also plays on the mother's pregnancy, according to the study published by the British Medical Journal. During gestation, diabetes is 34% more risky for women whose spouse (and father) is in the elderly group.
Read also:
Paternity leave: soon to be extended for fathers of premature children
A test to detect a premature birth?
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