Advanced paternal age: how old is too old?

Isabelle Bray, David Gunnel and George Davey Smith
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, UK

Journal of Epidemiology amd Community Health 2006;60:851-853

"Average paternal age in the UK is increasing. The public health implications of this trend have not been widely anticipated or debated. .....Accumulated chromosomal aberrations and mutations occurring during the maturation of the male germ cells are thought to be responsible for the increased risk of certain conditions with older fathers. Growing evidence shows that the offspring of older fathers have reduced fertility and an increased risk of birth defects, some cancers and schizophrenia." ......