We all know that older women have a harder chance conceiving and a greater likelihood of having a child with a range of congenital defects.
However a father's age also matters. As men age, they contribute more "de novo" mutations to their offspring. The increase in de novo mutations is highly correlated with higher probabilities of autism, schizophrenia, and ADHD
![[Image: nature11396-f2.2.jpg]](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v488/n7412/carousel/nature11396-f2.2.jpg)
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v48...E-20120823
Just a reminder that if you want to have kids, waiting until you're older and finding a younger woman isn't going to be quite the same as having kids when you're in your prime. This is not to say that older men can't or don't have healthy kids, but that the odds of having kids with certain problems does in fact increase with age.
However a father's age also matters. As men age, they contribute more "de novo" mutations to their offspring. The increase in de novo mutations is highly correlated with higher probabilities of autism, schizophrenia, and ADHD
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v48...E-20120823
Just a reminder that if you want to have kids, waiting until you're older and finding a younger woman isn't going to be quite the same as having kids when you're in your prime. This is not to say that older men can't or don't have healthy kids, but that the odds of having kids with certain problems does in fact increase with age.