What are the effects of older childbearing on children's heredity?

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What are the effects of elder childbearing on children's heredity

Elderly childbearing refers to the pregnancy and childbearing of women over 35 years old. Due to the changes of modern society, more and more women choose to have children at a later age. However, the elderly childbearing will have a certain impact on the heredity of children from many aspects.

1. Increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities

As women grow older, the quality of their eggs will gradually decline. Research shows that the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus of pregnant elderly mothers will increase significantly. Down syndrome is a common chromosomal abnormality disease. The disease will have a serious impact on the intellectual and physical development of children.

In addition, elderly childbearing may also increase the risk of other chromosome abnormalities, such as chromosome rearrangement and abnormal number of parents. These abnormalities may lead to congenital defects, mental retardation, growth delay and other problems.

Therefore, it is very important to carry out comprehensive prenatal screening and related genetic counseling for elderly mothers. Doctors can find out whether there is chromosome abnormality in the fetus through careful inspection and genetic analysis, and provide corresponding solutions.

2. Impact of hereditary diseases

With the growth of age, older expectant mothers may carry some risk genes for hereditary diseases. These genes may be passed on to the next generation, which increases the possibility of children suffering from genetic diseases.

For example, women over 35 years old who are pregnant have a higher risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and other diseases than young women. If the mother has risk genes for these diseases, then the child will also be at risk for these cancers.

In addition, older expectant mothers may also carry gene mutations of some rare genetic diseases. If children inherit these mutations, they may suffer from these rare diseases. The treatment and management of these diseases can be very complex and difficult.

3. Effects of neurodevelopment

Older childbearing may also have a certain impact on the child's neural development. Research shows that with the increase of mother's age, the risk of children suffering from autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other neurodevelopmental abnormalities will also increase.

In addition, some studies also found that the children of elderly mothers may have a certain delay in intellectual development. This may be related to the decline of mother's egg quality, gene variation and other factors.

4. The influence of the elderly father to be

Although most of the attention is focused on the elderly mothers, the elderly expectant father may also have a certain impact on the heredity of the children. Research shows that the father's age is related to the increased risk of some diseases of the child.

For example, older fathers are associated with an increased risk of children suffering from mental diseases such as schizophrenia and autism. The increase of this risk may be related to the decrease of sperm quality of the father to be.

summary

Older childbearing has a significant impact on children's heredity. The increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities, the impact of genetic diseases, neurodevelopmental problems and the impact of older expectant fathers all need our attention. For couples who plan to give birth at an advanced age, it is vital for the healthy development of their children to carry out relevant consultation and inspection as early as possible to better manage possible genetic problems.