Recent medical experiments have shown that children with older parents run higher risks of developing autism, new study postulates. The scientific endeavor was carried through as medical experts wanted to determine whether the age of the dad or the age of the mom is more likely to lead to autistic behaviors.
Autism in infants has always triggered scientists’ curiosity as the problem has become all the more cumbersome in the past years. Many more babies are diagnosed with autism during their first months of existence and physicians are making efforts to identify the possible factors leading to this disease.
Previous tests have shown that parents who become pregnant at an older age are more likely to have autistic children, but doctors were unable to say whether the age of the father or the mother was more important. The recent test conducted by professors at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York aimed to answer this particular question.
According to the findings of the recent experiment, older dads have more chances of having autistic children. Experts have specified that fathers, who are older than 50 years presented 66 percent increased risks of autism for their children. Dads, who become parents in their 20s have had healthier children, based on statistics.
Mothers, too, however, are advised to become pregnant at a younger age as this aspect could influence the health of the fetus. Respondents taking part in the recent experiment have proven that women in their 40s have 15 percent higher chances of giving birth to an autistic child.
Teen moms, are not safe, either. Medical experiments have shown that women who are too young can also give birth to children with autistic problems. The chances for this to happen were 18 percent higher for teen moms compared to 20-year-old moms.
Age difference between the two parents is also an important factor, the new study has postulated. The bigger the difference between the two adult members of the family, the higher the chances of developing autistic behavior, scientists have concluded.
Figures reveal that autistic risk rates become higher when fathers have a much younger partner. Risks are all the more evident when the generation gap between the two partners is at least 10 years.
Scientists have also tried to identify the possible causes that determine higher autistic rates among older parents, but no clear evidence was yet found in this sense. The most probable hypotheses are related to the quality of the sperm or of the egg cell, but this supposition has to be further analyzed before getting approved.
Previous studies have shown that the first part of the semen has a better quality, than other leaks occurring during the intercourse. Researchers plan to determine whether there is a link between the past study and the new findings.
The results of the test, as well as the detailed experiment that respondents have to undergo during the medical research will be presented in the journal of Molecular Psychiatry.
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