Older Dads Are Becoming More Common

Statistics at CFMC fertility clinic, Orange County shows that with the changing times, many men and women are choosing to become parents at a later age. As women postpone childbearing, men also become fathers at an older age, when they get to be parents. According to a study published in the journal of Human Reproduction, the average age of a father of an American baby has increased by approximately 4 years since the ’70s, going from 27.4 to 30.9. 

Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an associate professor of urology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, sees such a significant change within a short time as a big deal. He said, “This trend existed for every single group we looked at. By any race and ethnicity, it went up; any education level, it increased; every single region of the country. I thought that perhaps this touched some groups but not others, but really this was universal, and that surprised me.” 

A study found that births to men above 40 years of age have increased by more than 100%. Also,  births to men above 40 years of age now constitute nearly 1/10th of all children born in the United States. Now, it is more common to see gray-haired men welcoming a new baby to their family. In fact, the ranks of American new dads above 50 have increased by about 100% (from 0.5-0.9%). The researchers based this study on all US births reported for 1972 to 2015. However, they did not consider whether it was the man’s first, second, or third baby. They only focused on the age of the father of the newborn babies.

Why men are choosing to become fathers at an older age?

It is an important but difficult question to answer. “It is probably similar to the reasons that exist for women, too. Contraception is better than it has been in the past. People want to be more settled in their careers when they’re choosing to have kids. For that reason, couples are just naturally delaying,” Michael said.

He stated that a man with a more stable career would have more resources to cater to his babies. In addition to that, older age fathers would have more time to commit to their children’s upbringing.

According to another study, men who become fathers at an older age tend to have “geekier” sons – intelligent boys who have above-average IQs. Such boys focus on their interests and do not worry about fitting in. The authors noted that these characteristics are “predictive of academic and perhaps, career success.”

A pediatrician at Boston Children Hospital, Dr. Claire McCarthy, said that being older parents comes with pros and cons. Surely, older parents are more likely to have better resources, which is good for babies. 

She said, “They also have more life experience, which can be helpful when it comes to parenting. They also may have been more deliberate in choosing to be a parent, which may make them more invested in their child’s life.

On the downside, I’ve seen that often older parents are more set in their ways and feel more disrupted by the, well, disruption of a child they are used to social activities, having time to themselves, and getting enough sleep. Having a baby throws a serious wrench into all of that.”

Conclusion

Nonetheless, welcoming a new baby into the family is always such a joyous moment. Preserving your fertility is something that is becoming more and more common in society. Moreover, with the help of modern medical technology, men can now choose to become fathers at an older age as well as single fathers. There are several different fertility treatments that we can cater to each individual’s needs and preferences. CFMC provides the resources and support to guide you in your journey to parenthood, whenever that may be. You can reach us at (949) 726-0600 with any questions about our services. You can also visit us at www.CoastalFertility.com to schedule a consultation to discuss your options with our medical experts.