Local medical experts have warned that men should not wait too long to have children as older sperm increases the risk of deformities in babies and miscarriages in women.
From the age of 40, sperm quality declines, the experts say.
Former minister of health and social services Dr Kalumbi Shangula says men’s fertility depends on several key sperm metrics, with age being a primary determining factor.
“Fertility is influenced by the number of motile sperms, the sperm count and the health of the sperm.
“The quality of sperm is determined by, among others, the age of the individual man.
The younger, the better the quality of sperm. Healthy sperm produces a healthy baby,” he says.
While women are often reminded of their ‘biological clock’, many men just do not feel the same pressure when it comes to settling down and starting a family.
In fact, many men in their 20s, especially cisgender, heterosexual men, are currently not even considering having children.
Echoing these views, Dr Cornelia Ndifon says while advanced paternal age affects outcomes, the risk increases progressively over time.
A father’s age does affect fertility and the baby’s health. And this effect is usually commencing from about the age of 40 and going forward as the father gets older,” she says.
Ndifon says while the risk rises with age, it does not mean every older father will experience complications.
“We never know who in particular will be affected. Not everyone having their first baby at 50 will have problems,” she says.
Ndifon says some individuals may experience issues prior to turning 40.
“All I want you to know is that that risk increases from 40 years on.”
Ndifon says advanced age alters the fundamental properties of sperm and its genetic composition.
SPERM COUNT, VOLUME
“So a father’s age can affect the sperm volume or the semen volume and sperm count. It can affect the motility or movement of sperm.
“It can increase DNA damage, the DNA of the sperm, and it can also increase the tendency of genetic mutations.
Mutations are spontaneous damage to the genetic material, spontaneous changes,” she explains.
She says external environmental factors combined with age could potentially compound these genetic impacts.
“We don’t know what might be responsible for enhancing the effect of age. For example, age and environment together might increase genetic mutations,” she says.
Regarding the impact on conception and pregnancy, Ndifon says older paternal age can reduce the likelihood of conceiving and raise the risk of losing a pregnancy.
“There might be a reduced chance of falling pregnant in the first place. And there might also be an increase in miscarriages,” she says.
Ndifon says children born to older fathers face a higher risk of specific medical and neurodevelopmental conditions.
AUTISM, DWARFISM, SCHIZOPHRENIA
“Such pregnancies may be associated with what we call autism spectrum disorder or just autism.
So pregnancies to older people, older men, may give rise to more children with autism.
“They may give rise to more children with dwarfism or extremely short people.
And they may also be associated with a higher risk of schizophrenia,” Ndifon states.
Dr Bernard Haufiku, however, offers a contrasting perspective, saying a father’s age alone rarely impacts a child’s health directly.
“The father’s age does not usually have much effect on a baby’s health, unless he has health issues,” he says.
While acknowledging that a man’s ability to conceive drops considerably as he gets older, Haufiku says age is not the sole or primary determinant of sperm quality.
“From the age of 40 or 50 the chance of all men to make a woman pregnant drops significantly.
But a man still retains the ability to father a baby even though his potential decreases significantly as he ages,” he says.
Haufiku says lifestyle and underlying medical conditions play a far more decisive role in sperm health than chronological age.
“The quality of sperm does have an effect on fertility. But this is not necessarily age-related.
“Things like stress, depression, alcohol abuse, smoking, including hubbly bubblies, and illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure and certain medications may negatively affect one’s sperm quality and even quantity,” he says.
“A 39-year-old man can have poor sperm quality while a 73-year-old man may still have sperm of good quality. Such is the dichotomy of life and biological processes,” he says.
Namibian general practitioner with a special interest in obstetrics and gynaecology Dr Leonard Nambala says sperm quality does play a role, however, women’s role is more dominant.
“But age surely plays a role,” he says.
