Some studies have linked increasing paternal age (over 40 or so years) with higher rates of conditions like autism and schizophrenia. Others have observed increased rates of birth abnormalities, such as heart defects, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and Down's syndrome.
Every pregnancy starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a birth defect. This is called the background risk. A father does not share a blood connection with a pregnancy, so medications or chemicals that are in their blood stream do not reach the developing baby.
But for most birth defects, we don't know what causes them. For most birth defects, we think they are caused by a complex mix of factors. These factors include our genes (information inherited from our parents), our behaviors, and things in the environment.
A birth defect is a problem with how a baby's body parts form or how they work. The baby is born with the problem, but it might not be recognized until later. Sometimes the problem is inherited (passed down in families). Often the cause is not known.
A condition is considered Y-linked if the altered gene that causes the disorder is located on the Y chromosome, one of the two sex chromosomes in each of a male's cells. Because only males have a Y chromosome, in Y-linked inheritance, a variant can only be passed from father to son.
The most common birth defects are: heart defects. cleft lip/palate. Down syndrome.
A birth defect (also called a congenital disorder or congenital anomaly) is a health problem that a baby is born with. There are many different types of birth defects, and they can range from mild to severe. Usually, the cause is not known. Some birth defects run in families (are inherited), but others do not.
About 1 in 33 babies (about 3 percent) is born with a birth defect in the United States each year. Some birth defects don't need treatment or can be treated easily. But other birth defects need quick treatment because they cause serious problems or even death.
"Unfortunately, we can also inherit 'changes' in genes from either our mother or father, which can increase the chances of developing an inherited disease, such as cancer," says Tiffiney Carter, genetic counselor at Houston Methodist.
The egg and sperm each have one half of a set of chromosomes. The egg and sperm together give the baby the full set of chromosomes. So, half the baby's DNA comes from the mother and half comes from the father.
Parents pass on traits or characteristics, such as eye colour and blood type, to their children through their genes. Some health conditions and diseases can be passed on genetically too. Sometimes, one characteristic has many different forms. For example, blood type can be A, B, AB or O.
Paternal age increases the frequency of congenital diseases such as heart malformations as well as oral, palate and lip cleft. Moreover, mental disorders (autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, low IQ level as well as ADHD) also occur more frequently in advanced father's age.
However, when any of the DNA “rungs” become broken or unstable, the whole genetic ladder becomes unsteady. This results in sperm fragmentation. DNA fragmentation can lead to chromosomal abnormalities, which can contribute to birth defects.
Infants born to older fathers were found to be at higher risk of premature birth, late still birth, low Apgar scores, low birth weight, higher incidence of newborn seizures and birth defects such as congenital heart disease and cleft palate.
Autism has been linked to birth defect agents acting during the first eight weeks from conception, though these cases are rare. If the mother of the child is dealing with autoimmune conditions or disorders while pregnant, it may affect if the child developed autism.
The risk of chromosomal abnormality increases with maternal age. The chance of having a child affected by Down syndrome increases from about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who conceives at age 25, to about 1 in 100 for a woman who conceives at age 40.
According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), the rarest month to be born in is February, making Aquarius the rarest zodiac sign.
The prevalence of many types of birth defects appears to differ by sex, with the majority of them being more prevalent among men,1 2 including orofacial cleft (cleft lip with or without cleft palate), urinary system (hypospadias, hydronephrosis) and gastrointestinal tract (diaphragmatic hernia).
In general, major defects of the body and internal organs are more likely to occur between 3 to 12 embryo / fetal weeks. This is the same as 5 to 14 gestational weeks (weeks since the first day of your last period). This is also referred to as the first trimester.
February 3rd is the only day where no one in history has ever been born. Despite much scientific study, there is no explanation for this phenomena. Historically it has been referred to as "the empty day" or "nobody's birthday". The years range from late 1700s to the 2010s.
The most common severe congenital disorders are heart defects, neural tube defects and Down syndrome. Although congenital disorders may be the result of one or more genetic, infectious, nutritional or environmental factors, it is often difficult to identify the exact causes.