Late paternity and stillbirth risk

Area of Science:

• Reproductive epidemiology
• Human genetics
• Perinatal research

Background:

• Paternal age is hypothesized to influence offspring genetic disease risk due to accumulated mutations during spermatogenesis.
• This study investigates the impact of paternal age on stillbirth, a complex multifactorial condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between paternal age and stillbirth risk.
• To determine if maternal age and family education modify this association.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 3,619,647 Italian singletons born between 1990-1996.
• Multiple logistic regression models incorporating maternal age and family education as covariates and interactions.
• Risk estimation for parents exceeding age thresholds of 35 (mothers) and 40 (fathers).

Main Results:

• Stillbirth risk rises with paternal age in mothers aged 30 years and older.
• Maternal age and family education significantly modify the impact of paternal age on stillbirth.
• In families with lower education, increased odds ratios (OR) for stillbirth were observed with advancing maternal and paternal age.
• In families with higher education, a notable OR of 1.12 was found for mothers under 35 with fathers aged 40 and older.

Conclusions:

• Paternal ageing is linked to increased stillbirth risk, especially in mothers aged 30 and above.
• Family education level plays a modifying role in the paternal age-stillbirth risk relationship.
• The elevated risk in higher-educated families with older fathers may suggest an underlying genetic contribution.