Are Caucasian-European men delaying fatherhood? Results of a 7 year observational study of infertile couples with male factor infertility.

Int J Androl. 2011 Jun 22. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2011.01197.x. [Epub ahead of print]
Are Caucasian-European men delaying fatherhood? Results of a 7 year observational study of infertile couples with male factor infertility.
Salonia A, Matloob R, Saccà A, Ferrari M, Gallina A, Castiglione F, Abdollah F, Raber M, Brigante C, Candiani M, Rigatti P, Montorsi F.
SourceDepartment of Urology, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.

Abstract
This study was aimed at assessing presence and predictors of a trend towards more advanced paternal age at presentation in a cohort of 1283 Caucasian-European infertile couples with male factor infertility (MFI) over a short time frame. Multivariate linear regression analysis tested the association between predictors [namely, partners' age, length of infertility at first presentation, patients' comorbidities as scored with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and educational status] and patient's age at presentation. Using anova, patient's age at presentation (F ratio: 2.43; p = 0.024) and patients' educational status (χ(2) trend: 142.38; p < 0.001) significantly increased over time. In contrast, length of infertility at first presentation, CCI and partners' age did not significantly change over time (all p ≥ 0.05). Linear regression analyses showed that CCI, educational status and year of presentation were not correlated with patients' age at presentation (all p ≥ 0.05), whereas partners' age (β = 0.170; p < 0.001) and length of infertility (β = 0.123; p = 0.004) were independent predictors of delayed fatherhood. These results showed a significant shift towards advanced paternal age, but a non-significant increase of maternal age at first presentation among Caucasian-European infertile couples with MFI over a short time frame.

© 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Andrology © 2011 European Academy of Andrology.