Study Questions Effect of Paternal Age on ART Outcome
November 28, 2008
A team of Spanish researchers investigated the effect of male aging on assisted reproductive technologies, and reported that paternal age does not have a significant influence on embryo quality and implantation rate. The study, considered as one of the largest researches of its kind, till date, has been published in the November issue of the journal Reproductive Bio Medicine Online.
In order to determine the association between paternal age on ART outcome, Jose Bellver, lead scientist from the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad, Spain, and coworkers, analyzed 2,204 intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles, 1,286 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, and 1,412 IVF cycles with donated oocytes, between 2000 and 2006. Mean male age was 34.3 years (range 25-56), 34.8 years (range 19-62) and 41.10 years (range 25-71) for IUI, IVF and ovum donation cycles, respectively. The study results, compared among different age groups, demonstrated no significant difference in the rates of miscarriage and pregnancy. Also, the embryo quality and implantation rates were not affected by the age of the male partner in standard IVF and ovum donation cycles.
Contrary to these findings, a previous prospective study by Klonoff-Cohen and Natarajan (American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2004) reported that the advancing parental age (both maternal and paternal) may adversely affect the positive outcomes of IVF and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT). The study investigated the impact of paternal age on various sperm parameters, fertilization, pregnancy, and live birth rates on 221 IVF and GIFT couples. The effect of maternal age was also analyzed. Study results showed that the advancement of paternal age by one year is associated with increased odds of 11% (P=0.007) and 12% (P=0.01) of not achieving a successful pregnancy and live birth, respectively. Each additional year of paternal age for first-time IVF/GIFT recipients showed 5% increased odds, with IVF/GIFT cycles repeaters indicating a 40% increased odds of not attaining a successful pregnancy. Progression in maternal age was associated with a decrease in the number of oocytes extracted or fertilized. Researchers also found that the risks of not achieving a pregnancy and live birth in women less than 35 years old was more than 4-fold, while those ³40 years of age had more than 20-fold risk.
The association between IVF and advanced maternal age has been well studied and several previous studies have suggested a decline in fertility by the age of 35 and a 50% reduced chance of conception beyond 40. However, numerous studies have reported contradictory findings regarding male age and ART outcome. In another former study Kumtepe, et al. (International Journal of Andrology, 2003) reported that paternal age cannot be considered as a factor independently affecting ART outcomes in cases of male factor infertility; attributing the effect observed to the negative impact of the parallel advancement of maternal age. In view of the conflicting study results, further clinical trials are mandatory to determine the effect of paternal age on sperm quality and subsequent ART results.
References
1. Bellver J, Garrido N, Remohí J, Pellicer A, Meseguer M. Influence of paternal age on assisted reproduction outcome. Reprod Biomed Online. 2008 Nov;17(5):595-604.
2. Klonoff-Cohen, Hillary S.; Natarajan, Loki. The effect of advancing paternal age on pregnancy and live birth rates in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization or gamete intrafallopian transfer. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Aug;191(2):507-514.
3. Kumtepe Y, Yakin K, Kahraman S, et al. Male age is not an independent factor to affect the outcome of assisted reproductive techniques. Int J Androl. 2003 Jun;26(3):161-5.
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