For most women, your Down syndrome risk is based mostly on your age. Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is the most commonly recognized genetic cause of mental retardation. People with Down’s syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. a fetus can be screened for Down syndrome, CVS or amniocentesis to confirm a diagnosis. Children born to older parents are at greater risk for genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. The preliminary results, which are unpublished, show that 0.14 per cent of the children born to fathers under 35 had Down’s syndrome, compared with 0.23 per cent of babies born to men aged between 35 and 39, and 0.41 per cent born to men over 39 – an almost threefold increase over those in the youngest age group. Some studies have found no relationship, while other, smaller studies have suggested that older fathers may raise the risk of Down syndrome. “We know young fathers and old fathers vary on many things.”. Facts about Down syndrome. https://www.acog.org/-/media/For-Patients/faq164.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20161216T1208042192. Effect of paternal age on the frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities in human spermatozoa. © 1998-2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). National Library of Medicine. However, if you have any questions regarding your pregnancy or your child's growth and development, talk with your doctor. National Down Syndrome Society. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. These kids also had doubled risk of having a substance abuse problem and a 60% higher likelihood of getting failing grades in school compared with those with younger fathers. For most women, your Down syndrome risk is based mostly on your age. 2018 Jul;9(3):227-232. doi: 10.1007/s12687-017-0346-0. This effect may represent a paradigm for other genetic abnormalities in children of older fathers. The older the mother, the greater the chance of abnormalities that can contribute to conditions such as Down syndrome, especially after age 35. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/down/conditioninfo/Pages/default.aspx. Children of older fathers also showed a 13 fold higher risk of developing attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a 25 times greater chance of getting bipolar disorder, and twice the risk of developing a psychosis. Jalbert says this is because of mounting evidence that some genetic diseases such as achondroplasia – a form of dwarfism – are more common among children fathered by older men. 2020 Nov 13;18(1):110. doi: 10.1186/s12958-020-00668-y. Results: Another name for the condition is Trisomy 21. In such cases, any additional risk of having a Down’s baby associated with the father’s increased age is masked by the known risk due to increasing maternal age. They divided the pregnancies into three groups according to the age of the sperm donor, and then calculated the percentage of Down’s babies born in each group. We compared actual Down syndrome rates by maternal age with the estimated rate corrected for paternal age. Viability of Booby Offspring is Maximized by Having One Young Parent and One Old Parent. Make a donation. SOURCE: The Journal of Urology, June 2003. Conclusions: Advanced paternal age combined with maternal age significantly influences the incidence of Down syndrome. Down syndrome varies in severity among individuals, causing lifelong intellectual disability and developmental delays. These complications can include: For people with Down syndrome, getting routine medical care and treating issues when needed can help with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. What Are the Treatments for Down Syndrome?