Does paternal age affect the course and outcome of pregnancy and the parameters of infants

Abstract

Background: Parental age plays a significant role in reproductive outcomes, and this age has been rising continually in the recent past for many reasons. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the influence of paternal age on the course and outcome of pregnancy and the parameters of the newborn.

Methods: The sample consisted of 401 pregnant women and their newborn babies. The main parameter was the father’s age, and participants were subsequently divided into three groups: the first group consisted of fathers between the ages of 20 and 29, the second group comprised fathers between 30 and 39, and the third group were fathers over the age of 40. All other parameters were analyzed in relation to this parameter.

Results: The results indicate that with older fathers, parity was 2+, and spontaneous abortions were more frequent among women with older partners. The findings also show that newborns with a head circumference larger than 37cm were less common among older fathers.

Conclusion: Our study shows that maternal age increases in accordance with paternal age, as does the possibility of complications in the mother’s pregnancy and in the perinatal outcome of the newborn baby. Poorer perinatal outcomes were observed in cases with older fathers. This impacts health system costs and should prompt further research, particularly due to the ever-greater challenges of older parents and the potential implications for their offspring.