I'm 80 years old and want to have a child with my partner half my age... here is what doctors think

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are among a excavation of A-listers successful the aged dada club, some having had children astatine the property of 83 and 79, respectively. 

Now, 1 octogenarian considering doing the same, has asked astir the wellness implications astir fathering a kid aboriginal successful life. 

Looking for proposal anonymously, the 80-year-old wrote to Dr Keith Roach who runs a play health-focused file The Oregonian.

He explained helium is 'reasonably healthy' for his property but is 'concerned astir immoderate imaginable problems with my aged genes and immoderate commencement defects that mightiness beryllium caused by them.'

He notes that his partner, who is of kid bearing-age (typically considered to beryllium betwixt 15 and45 years old), wants for them to person a kid but they wanted to get a aesculapian sentiment earlier proceeding. 

In his response, Dr Roach says helium often gets this question from his patients, 'but usually erstwhile they are successful their 60s oregon 70s [and] 80 is rather aged to beryllium considering fathering a child.'

Firstly the physician, who is based astatine Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital, highlights however it isn't conscionable women who person a biologic timepiece - fertility rates besides diminution arsenic a antheral ages, and the risks increase.

Studies person shown conception is 30 percent little apt for men older than 40 and topping it off, the hazard of familial mutations is higher, with conditions specified as down syndrome, autism and puerility cancer much prevalent among children with older fathers. 

Dr Leen Alhafez and Dr Heather Fisher, who are some fertility experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center successful Texas, accidental determination are respective reasons for decreased fertility, including that 'semen volume, full sperm count, and sperm motility (how good the sperm tin determination toward the egg) each alteration arsenic men age.'

Age-related contributing factors to these changes scope from shrinking oregon softening of the testicles to declining levels of the antheral enactment hormone testosterone.

A 2001 survey revealed men implicit the property of 60 had 20 percent little testosterone levels, men implicit the property of 70 had 33 percent little testosterone levels, and men implicit the property of 80 had 50 percent little testosterone levels. 

Dr Roach said successful his column that a quality successful a man's fertility is 'apparent by the property of 35' but for imaginable fathers successful their 80s, determination is not capable extended information oregon research. 

Next up, helium says if the scholar and his spouse are capable to conceive successfully, determination is past the 'increased hazard of deleterious familial conditions and commencement defects that are much apt successful children who person older fathers.'

Dr Alhafez and Dr Fisher, explicate that portion a pistillate is calved with 'all the eggs she'll ever have,' a antheral is 'constantly making caller sperm cells that disagreement and replicate astir each 16 days.' 

By property 20, they enactment a man's sperm cells person gone done astir 150 divisions and this fig could turn to 800 by the clip helium is 50.

Because of these divisions, determination is an accrued hazard of assorted familial mutations. 

Dr Roach says immoderate of the conditions associated with precocious paternal property see down syndrome, epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders and immoderate bosom conditions.

Research has besides shown a transportation betwixt precocious paternal property and respective puerility cancers, specified arsenic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 

However, Dr Alhafez and Dr Fisher enactment 'these diseases are multifactorial, which means they are caused by a analyzable operation of familial and non-genetic factors, including biology and manner factors.'

Genetic conditions aside, each of the doctors constituent to probe that has shown babies calved to men older than 45 are much apt to person a debased commencement weight, beryllium calved premature, and necessitate attraction successful the neonatal intenisve attraction unit.

However, Dr Roach says the 'magnitude of the effect is modest.' 

He adds: 'On average, 1 successful 50 pregnancies with a begetter nether the property of 30 volition person 1 of the communal wellness conditions that are studied successful couples. With children who person a begetter implicit 50, the complaint is 1 successful 38.'

Another contented Dr Roach asks the scholar to see is whether helium volition beryllium astir to spot his kid turn up and beryllium determination arsenic a father. 

Putting things into perspective, helium writes: 'The mean 80-year-old antheral has a beingness expectancy of conscionable nether 8 years. 

'If you are substantially healthier than average, oregon if your parents lived a precise agelong time, this fig could beryllium a spot better. 

'But the mean 80-year-old (assuming your spouse has the kid portion you are inactive 80) is not apt to spot their kid scope their 10th birthday. The aboriginal decease of a begetter has a antagonistic interaction connected the carnal and intelligence wellness of a child.'

Taking each of these factors into account, the doc concludes determination are 'significant risks' for the octogenarian to bring a kid into the world.