Older Dad May Be Hazadous to Your Health

The Fifty Foot Blogger: Caution: Dad may be hazardous to your health

Study Reveals Fertility Treatments Induce Gene Mutations in Males

Study Reveals Fertility Treatments Induce Gene Mutations in Males
Date Published: Thursday, August 28th, 2008



Chinese researchers are reporting that the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or another assisted fertility technique called that is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to conceive appears to increase the odds of Y-chromosome defects or “microdeletions” in male offspring. Although this study was small, it “at least sounds an alarm about the genetic safety of assisted reproductive technology,” the investigators conclude.

This means that the chromosomal defects, or deletions, could result in defective sperm production and possibly also hypospadias. Hypospadia is a relatively common congenital malformation of the male sex organs in which the urinary outlet, or urethra, does not open through the glans of the penis, but rather, develops on the underside of the penis. This defect makes it difficult for the patient to urinate normally and to control one’s stream of urine. Generally, hypospadia occurs because of a hormonal imbalance or deficiency that takes place at a critical point in fetal development prior to birth. Early corrective surgery is generally called for before the child reaches the age of three.

Prior research has linked assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF and ICSI with low birth weight, pre-term delivery, cerebral palsy, and major birth defects. Because of this, some researchers believe that such therapies may prompt gene mutations. In this new study, Dr. He-Feng Huang, from Zhejiang University, and colleagues worked to find answers to this issue by testing for genetic mutations in 19 male infants who were conceived through IVF, 18 who were conceived through ICSI, and 60 baby boys were were conceived naturally. In addition, the fathers of the infant boys were also tested. Because the researchers were hoping to isolate the impact of the fertility treatment, they only studied those infants whose parents had a normal genetic background.

Huang and his colleagues found Y-chromosome microdeletions in one infant conceived with IVF, representing 5.3 percent of the population tested. Microdeletions were also found in three baby boys conceived with ICSI, which represented 16.7 percent of the population tested. By contrast, no Y-chromosome deletions were seen in the control group. The report also indicated that one of the four infants with microdeletions had hypospadias.

The investigators noted that this study is not the first to link ICSI with hypospadias; however, the mechanism has been unclear in the earlier studies. The new findings suggest that the association may be mediated through Y-chromosome microdeletions.

ICSI has long been the main method used to overcome male infertility and its use is on the rise. With ICSI, a single sperm is injected directly into a single egg. If successful fertilization occurs, the embryo is then placed into the female—in IVF treatment—to undergo development as usual. Fertilization rates—which are not the same as pregnancy rates—are relatively high when ICSI is employed with approximately 75%-80% of all eggs manipulated through ICSI becoming fertilized.

Larger studies “should be conducted to confirm our preliminary results,” the researchers conclude.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 9:09 am and is filed under Legal News, Health Concerns

A Wonderful Post About the Danger to Offspring of Older Fathers

21 August 2008
The Human Reproductive Clock




When parents are over 35 years old, man and woman alike,
the following cases become prevalent:

Up to a third of all cases of schizophrenia are linked to increasing paternal age.
Men 40 and older are nearly six times more likely to have offspring with autism than men under age 30.
Other research shows that the risk of breast and prostate cancer in offspring increases with paternal age.
The chances of parents of babies with achondroplasia is higher
Older fathers can cause genetic conditions in their offspring, such as birth defects, autism and schizophrenia.
Increased chances of an older woman having a baby with Down's syndrome has been well documented.




Posted by Neriz at Thursday, August 21, 2008
Labels: pasalubong, science

The male biological clock is ticking: a review of the literature

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18711662?dopt=AbstractPlus

Sao Paulo Med J. 2008 May;126(3):197-201.
The male biological clock is ticking: a review of the literature.Pasqualotto FF, Borges Júnior E, Pasqualotto EB.
Association Institute Sapientiae, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil.

The term biological clock is usually used by physicians and psychologists to refer to the declining fertility, increasing risk of fetal birth defects and alterations to hormone levels experienced by women as they age. Female fecundity declines slowly after the age of 30 years and more rapidly after 40 and is considered the main limiting factor in treating infertility. However, there are several scientific reports, chapters in books and review articles suggesting that men may also have a biological clock. The aim of our study was to conduct a review of the literature, based on the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), to evaluate the male biological clock. After adjustments for other factors, the data demonstrate that the likelihood that a fertile couple will take more than 12 months to conceive nearly doubles from 8% when the man is < 25 years old to 15% when he is > 35 years old. Thus, paternal age is a further factor to be taken into account when deciding on the prognosis for infertile couples. Also, increasing male age is associated with a significant decline in fertility (five times longer to achieve pregnancy at the age of 45 years). Patients and their physicians therefore need to understand the effects of the male biological clock on sexual and reproductive health, in that it leads to erectile dysfunction and male infertility, as well as its potential implications for important medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

PMID: 18711662 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Tom Steele's Very Thoughtful Post

Saturday, August 09, 2008

MY TWO UNCLES: THE MALE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK
"Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated"* (Deuteronomy 34:7).Women know that they have a biological clock. By the time they are in their 30's the bio ticking gets louder and louder. There is a lot of psychology connected with the feminine biological clock.But, is there a male biological clock? Yes, but what guy is checking the time? Guys assume that they will always make sperm so, what is the hurry? What is important for guys to know is that, from a fertility and health perspective, having children is for the young. The biological material is just better. After 35 deterioration is beginning to set in. Men 40 and over are nearly 6 times more likely to have offspring with autism than men younger than 30.** By age 60, 85% of sperm is clinically abnormal. Increased age in the father increases the risk of schizophrenia in the children.I have 2 uncles in my family history, one on my dad's side and one on my mother's side. Both of these uncles did not marry until they were 40 years old. One uncle fathered 4 children who grew up to be responsible, well-functioning adults. The other uncle fathered 3 children, 2 of them grew up to be good citizens, Christians and parents. The oldest child of the second uncle developed normally. He was a good student and was dedicated as a Christian too. During his college years he developed schizophrenia. This mental illness led to his tragic death and was the cause of a great deal of anguish for the family too.Would this have happened had my second uncle fathered children earlier in life? We cannot know for sure, but if there is a question about the timing of having children, put the odds in your favor and do it sooner rather than later.Grace&Peace,Tom*James Michener said in "The Source" that the verse meant that Moses was good in bed at 120 years old. I doubt that he took any supplements either, but then all his food was organic.**Statistics came from an article in "Psychology Today" called "A Man's Shelf Life," by Mark Teich. I had read similar statistics in other publications on this subject so it seemed like they were credible.
Posted by Tom at 8:05 PM