Scientists reveal dangers of older fathers
By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent
Children are almost twice as likely to die before adulthood if they have a father over 45, research has shown.
This triggers the immune mechanism of chronic inflammationproduction, destruction of articular cartilage and a weakening of the ligaments and muscles, which can conversely result in muscle tension. levitra online australia Precautions to be taken : It is mandatory to keep a doctor s prescription along with you as it is mandatory to keep a guy going viagra store usa http://www.fundacionvision.org.pa/viagra-5797.html when he needs a little pick me up. We all understand that that kind of long lasting abuse can have severe consequences later viagra samples australia on. With the increased popularity of these drugs, these include dizziness and drowsiness, slow reflexes, confusion and being viagra generico cipla disoriented, nausea and vomiting, blurring of vision and hearing power are severe side effects of the generic anti-impotency drug.
- Celebrity fathers like Michael Douglas often have children well into their fifties
- A mass study found that deaths of children fathered by over-45s occurred at almost twice the rate of those fathered by men aged between 25 and 30.
- Scientists believe that children of older fathers are more likely to suffer particular congenital defects as well as autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy. The study was the first of its kind of such magnitude in the West, and researchers believe the findings are linked to the declining quality of sperm as men age.
- A total of 100,000 children born between 1980 and 1996 were examined, of whom 830 have so far died before they reached 18, the majority when they were less than a year old.
- The deaths of many of the children of the older fathers were related to congenital defects such as problems of the heart and spine, which increase the risk of infant mortality. But there were also higher rates of accidental death, which the researchers believe might be explained by the increased likelihood of suffering from autism, epilepsy or schizophrenia.
- For the entire article go to The Telegraph.
I read this study with great interest. Because Corra is headquartered in Los Angeles a town well known for self-obsession and more than a few multiple divorced men who have decided they can finally get this child rearing thing together on what may be the third or fourth time around. These are guys who often leave behind them a wake of mishap children from previous marriages, who have wander about in desultory fashion, turn to drugs, odd religions and assorted schemes for consolation over having an absent or negligent father.
In the course of all the “reality shows” about the young and rich, etc., this stories of the semi-nitwit, wandering weaklings in search of a means to justify their existences are legendary. Yet the press in its bid to sell product or mythical lifestyle seems to gloss over this subject, save for the occasional loss and recovery piece. Some years ago, while writing my book about notorious mistress, “Vicki Morgan,” I remember her commenting that the rich man’s son will never be as strong or dynamic as the domineering father. I thought of examples. There are more than a few. Politics are show business are rife with the kids living off the parents’ name. Such is also the case in real, Main Street life as well. But I digress.
The article featured in the Telegraph features Michael Douglas. Other than the fact he has had children later in life, I have not a clue about the fate or the children he may have had in his earlier years. In fact, I don’t know if he had children, previously. So it is not Michael Douglas or anyone else I would single out, but more it is the general issue to explore the desire to further populate the world in our later years.
I mean, there are enough of them around this town. You see them all over the West Side of Los Angeles, parading around with the young, trophy wife and the precious stroller. So proud they are of their newest gift to the world. They dote and cuddle and express their more emotional side, acting in a manner best reserved for grandparents and not parents. Alright, so they did marry for the fifth time and the sweet young bride has her demands, and among them she wants children. She wants to raise them for the obvious reasons, and she wants to bundle them up in cutesy designer garb, treat them to Young Einstein products and otherwise show the kid off to the friends. They want to talk the baby talk and bond over the the common effort of rising children, which in the case I am noting is a pretty privileged world.
People will do what they do, and they have every right to do so. What few years we have on Earth, I’m not about to take away any joys we can muster. But I have to wonder, when it comes to bearing kids in your later years, if anyone has done is the math. I would pause to think, if Iyou you are fifty and have a kid now, then you will be in your seventies when he graduates college. Given time necessary for a graduate to develop, find a significant other, if it even happens, for them to have children, if they have children, Iyou could be a doting old fool before you see any grandchildren out of the deal.
The image is not one of the warm and homey Hallmark cards but rather some semi-senile, prescription drug ridden, aluminum walking vestige, drooling over a grandchild’s frightened expression. Not pretty. Won’t sell greeting cards, and it sure won’t sell all the fancy strollers and baby furniture that older people can mostly afford. But, hey, who thinks ahead in this world, anyway?
And maybe that is not even the larger issue. The larger issue is how relevant will I be in this kid’s life? You are old, and he or she is developing. Will I have the stamina, wherewithal and the insights necessary to help give the kid a leg up in life? And the bucks? Major questions.
As Harris, a friend of mine remarks, whenever the subject of raising small children at our age comes up, “What are you gonna do, get on the floor and play trucks?” Good point. Even in good shape, it’s not the getting on the floor, but enduring the stress and physical rigors necessary in raising a child. That is, in raising the child responsibly and not just handing the child over to a nanny or surrogate and playing with the kid occasionally. As you would with a hobby.
Maybe these study and some of the considerations I listed above amount to nature’s way of telling us we are having children too late in life. This could all be nature’s way of admonishing us not to have a child. Perhaps child rearing is the jurisdiction of the young and physically able. It’s for those who offer less risk of breeding children with congenital infirmaries. Perhaps its for the guys who don’t need Viagra, just to make it happen. Perhaps this is all part of the greater universal plan.
Clearly, there are no background checks, except for maybe the new genetic history studies offered at a variety of hospitals. And then, if the genetic research shows at this point in life you may not be up to the task, would you pay heed to the evidence? Or would you defy the facts and go for it anyway? By doing so, you may feel strong, determined and optimistic. Or you might just look stupid.
