We hear so much these days about the increased risk of miscarriage in older women but now it seems that men who leave it until their mid 30s to start a family are also more likely to lose their unborn child to miscarriage. With statistics showing that more men are leaving it later and later to have children this new research is a stark warning that some of them may be leaving it too late.

A French study of thousands of couples has shown that miscarriage rates increase once a man hits 35 and by the age of 45 this risk has doubled with one in three pregnancies ending in miscarriage regardless of the age of the woman. The large scale study is the first to reveal the true impact of a man’s age on his chances of fatherhood and warns that it is not just women who need to keep an eye on their biological clocks if they want to start a family.

 

Although it is possible for a man to father a child at the age of 90, the truth is that the older a man is the more semen abnormalities there are and to give himself the best possible chance of becoming a father a man should try to have children before the age of 40 to 45. Others studies have shown a father’s age can have a lasting consequence on his child’s health. Older fathers are, for example, five times more likely to have children with Down’s syndrome and up to twice as likely to have a child with a cleft lip. Children with older dads also have an increased risk of heart defects, autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy.

Three new studies have suggested that exposure early in life to ‘gender bending’ chemicals used in plastics, baby bottles, non stick pans and water pipes can increase the risk of obesity in adult hood. Experts believe that the chemicals can alter the genes and hormones involved in maintaining a healthy weight and unborn babies and young children are believed to be particularly at risk with just one dose potentially altering metabolism for life. The chemicals include bisphenol A which is found in plastic baby bottles, water bottles and tin cans which has already been linked to an increased risk of early puberty, breast cancer and infertility.

The first study from Tufts University in Massachusetts tracked the health of mice whose mothers had been exposed to bisphenol A while pregnant and nursing. They found that the babies put on more weight than other mice despite eating the same amount of food and doing the same amount of exercise.

 

The second study carried out by US government scientists looked at the effects of PFOA or perfluorooctanole acid, a chemical found in many everyday products such as non stick pans and pizza boxes. They found that mice exposed to this chemical in the womb were more likely to become overweight as adults. The final study from the University of California found that tributylin, a chemical found in PVC water pipes also increased the likelihood of obesity in adult hood.

 

This research could explain why some people spend their lives battling weight gain.  But don’t use this as an excuse not to try to lose weight or to help your child lose weight. Sticking to a healthy diet and regular exercise routine can help anyone stay in shape, even if you were exposed to gender bending chemicals early in life.

If you suffer from depression you may want to get your bone density levels checked! New research suggests depression could increase the risk of developing the bone disorder – osteoporosis.

Researchers from the US National Institute of Mental Health found that 17 per cent of depressed women – compared to just two percent of those who were not suffering from depression – had thinner bones in the hip area. The researchers believe depressed women have overactive immune systems and this can cause the production of too many chemicals that can cause inflammation and bone loss. The women tested in the study were using antidepressants but no link was found between the drugs and the thinning of the women’s bones.