Do you know why delayed fatherhood can cause miscarriage?

Prof. Know Why answers for your general knowledge and awareness on: Do you know why delayed fatherhood can cause miscarriage?

Couples who want to start a family, better plan it early in your life because the more you delay, the stronger becomes the risk of a miscarriage, say the scientists. And this applies to both men and women. Contrary to the older belief that men remain fertile even at old age, this new research points out that delayed fatherhood can also cause miscarriage like late motherhood.

Delayed fatherhood for men is a cause of concern for a healthy pregnancy and the baby as well, doctors warn, after a recent research found that male fertility begins to decline when they reach their mid-30s. Doctors said men who wait until their 40s before starting a family face a greater chance of their partner having a miscarriage, because of the poorer quality of their sperm.

The researchers studied the records of more than 12,000 couples treated for infertility at the fertility clinic, Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Paris between January 2002 and December 2006; and separated out the influence of male and female ages on the couples' chances of having a baby. They found that women whose partners were 35 or older had more miscarriages than those who were with younger men, regardless of their own age. The men's ages also affected pregnancy rates, which were lower in the over-40s.

The study looked at pregnancies and miscarriages recorded for couples having IUI treatment at the clinic. It found the risk of miscarriage was on average 16.7% when men were aged 30-34. That rate rose to 19.5% when men were 35-39 and 33% in men aged 40 or over.

The findings are a concern, researchers say, because of the trend for men to delay fatherhood. Stéphanie Belloc, lead author of the study, said that until now, gynecologists only focused on maternal age, and the message was to get pregnant before the age of 35 or 38 because afterwards it would be difficult. But now the gynecologists must also focus on paternal age and give this information to the couple.

Yves Ménézo, an embryologist at the Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction, said older men become less fertile because genetic defects build up in their sperm. In younger men, the damage is minor and can be repaired inside the fertilized egg. But in older men the amount of DNA damage can overwhelm the body's natural repair mechanisms. "We think there's a critical threshold of DNA damage and above that, the damage can no longer be repaired. When that happens, genetic mistakes get through to the embryo and you get an increase in miscarriages," Ménézo said.

Jacques de Mouzon, a co-author at the French National Institute for Medical Research, said: "People say men are fertile into old age, 90 even. That may be true sometimes, but the product is different and there are more semen abnormalities as age advances. There is a decrease [in male fertility] and an increase in the spontaneous abortion rate after the age of 40 and especially after 45. It is necessary for men to try to have children before the ages of 40 to 45."

Previous research has pointed to a slight increase in birth defects in babies born to older men. A 2005 study of 70,000 couples by epidemiologist Jorn Olsen at the University of California, Los Angeles, found a fourfold rise in Down's syndrome among babies born to men aged 50 and older. They were also more likely to have limb deformities.

Dr Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at Sheffield University and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said: "There is growing evidence from a number of studies to show that men are not totally immune from reproductive ageing. "Previous studies of couples trying to conceive naturally or undergoing IVF have shown that men over the age of about 40 are less fertile than younger men. Moreover, if they do achieve a pregnancy their partners are more likely to miscarry. This study reinforces the message that men aren't excused from reproductive ageing."

Normally, men don't typically worry about reproductive ageing, but perhaps they should if the study is to be believed, as now, delayed fatherhood is also being linked to miscarriages, and birth deformities.

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Do you know why masturbation reduces the risk of cancer?

Prof. Know Why answers for your general knowledge and awareness:

People have always linked masturbation with adult topics of discussions as because the first thought that comes with the word masturbation, is sex and lust. The society is normally hesitant and feels awkward to discuss on the subject of masturbation, openly and freely. Well, that is fine! But do the elders know the benefit of masturbation? I bet, not! A recent research-study has discovered an amazing fact about masturbation that may change the outlook of the society on the whole.

Researchers have found out that men who masturbate regularly are at a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.

Yes, you read it right! In the study, Australian researchers concluded that frequent masturbation may help men cut their risk of contracting prostate cancer. It is believed that carcinogens may build up in the prostate if men do not ejaculate regularly, reported BBC News.

The researchers surveyed more than 1,000 men who had developed prostate cancer, and 1,250 men who had not. They found that men who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to get cancer. Men who ejaculated more than five times each week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Sexual intercourse may not have the same effect because of the higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, which could in turn raise the risk of cancer. "Had we been able to remove ejaculations associated with sexual intercourse, there should have been an even stronger protective effect of ejaculations", Graham Giles of the Cancer Council Victoria, who led the researchers, said in the article.

The prostate produces a fluid that is incorporated into ejaculation, which activates sperm and prevents them from sticking together. Studies on animals have shown that carcinogens like 3-methylchloranthrene can be harbored in the prostate. Frequent ejaculation encourages the cancer-inducing fluids to flush out.

So, do I still need to say, “Carry on men” or you have already got the message?

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Do you know why men should chuck smoking and drinking for offspring?

Prof. Know Why answers for your general knowledge and awareness:

We all learned people know that too much of smoking or drinking is injurious to our health as science has long been clear that smoking or heavy alcohol consumption causes cancer. But, a new study has found that babies could inherit genetic damage from a father who puffs or drinks heavily.

A team of international researchers has found that smoking or drinking alcohol can cause chemical changes in the semen in men and the alterations could be potentially inherited by their offspring and their future generations.

The researchers came to the conclusion after they analyzed the effects of smoking and heavy drinking — both toxic in nature — on a group of mice. They gave pregnant female mice daily injections of pesticide vinclozolin during the period when the sex of embryos is determined. Male offspring had abnormalities, including prostate and sperm development problems, and genetic changes that the researchers found were passed on through four generations when the males were mated with healthy females.

The researchers have also identified specific genes involved in the production of sperm that were permanently altered by the exposure to the pesticide. "In addition to the spermatogenic and prostate abnormalities, trans-generational effects on numerous disease states were observed including tumour development and kidney disease”, said Matthew Anway of the University of Idaho.

Anway said the doses used, far exceeded the levels that humans could expect to be exposed to, but the study was designed to demonstrate how toxins lead to inheritable abnormalities.

"Studies have shown significant associations between male toxic exposures and increased rates of infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth and childhood health problems to open our eyes and look at the evidence" and "when you harm the male reproductive system you can see multi-generational harm transmitted through the male gamete (sperm). This research has human implications as it suggests an avenue of harm and a model of trans-generational effects”, said co-researcher Dr Cynthia Daniels of the Rutgers University.

Before it becomes too late, one thought-provoking question to the men of these bad habits, who are yet father a child - you might justify the privilege of living your own life on your preferred terms, but do you sincerely have the right to snatch away a desired healthy life from your offspring?

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