'Devastating' health risks older fathers may pass to children

Women have long been warned that the older they are, the greater the risk of health problems for them and their baby - but research now suggests older fathers can also affect baby's health. However, the quality declines and this could have implications for the next generation Worldwide data from more than 60 teams of researchers on the health risks associated with older fathers found that men aged over 35 had a 50 per cent lower chance of conceiving over a 12-month period than men 25 and under, even after taking into account the age of the would-be mother. Advanced paternal age increases the risk of breast cancer in their daughters by around 60 per cent, according to one of the studies the American researchers looked at. Children conceived by fathers over 40 also have a 30 per cent increased risk of epilepsy, a 37 per cent higher risk of Down's syndrome, a 14 per cent greater chance of childhood leukaemia, and a 70 per cent greater likelihood of central nervous system cancers. Dr Simon Fishel, chief executive of CARE Fertility, says: 'Even though men keep producing sperm, the decline in sperm DNA with age is now uncontroversial, with potentially devastating effects on the offspring of older men.