Parental age at birth and biomarkers of fecundity in young Danish men

Andreas Ernst; Nis Brix; Anne Gaml-Sørensen; Linn Håkonsen Arendt; Gunnar Toft; Sandra Søgaard Tøttenborg; Karin Søring Hougaard; Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde; Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen

doi:10.1111/andr.13536

Parental age at birth and biomarkers of fecundity in young Danish men

Andreas Ernst^*, Nis Brix, Anne Gaml-Sørensen, Linn Håkonsen Arendt, Gunnar Toft, Sandra Søgaard Tøttenborg, Karin Søring Hougaard, Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde, Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

Background: High parental age is associated with adverse birth and genetic outcomes, but little is known about fecundity in male offspring. Objectives: We investigated if high parental age at birth was associated with biomarkers of male fecundity in a large population-based sample of young men. Materials and methods: We conducted a study of 1057 men from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) cohort, a sub-cohort of sons born 1998–2000 into the Danish National Birth Cohort. Semen characteristics and reproductive hormone concentrations were measured in samples provided by the men 2017–2019. Testis volume was determined by self-measurement. Data on the parental age was drawn from registers. Adjusted relative difference in percentage with 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each outcome according to pre-specified maternal and paternal age groups (< 30 (reference), 30–34 and ≥ 35) as well as for combinations of parental age groups, using multivariable negative binomial regression models. Results: We did not observe consistent associations between parental age and biomarkers of fecundity, although sons of mothers ≥ 35 years had lower sperm concentration (−15% (95% CI: −30, 3)) and total sperm count (−10% (95% CI: −25, 9)). The analysis with parental age combinations showed lower sperm concentration with high age of the parents (both ≥ 35 years: −27%, 95% CI: −40, −19) when compared to the reference where both parents were below 30 years. Discussion and conclusion: We found no strong association between higher parental age and biomarkers of fecundity in young men. However, we cannot exclude poorer semen characteristics in sons born by older mothers or with high age of both parents.

Original language	English
Article number	13536
Journal	Andrology
Volume	13
Issue	1
Pages (from-to)	89-100
Number of pages	12
ISSN	2047-2919
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.13536
Publication status	Published - Jan 2025

Keywords

cohort study
epidemiology
parental age
paternal factors
reproductive health
semen quality

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10.1111/andr.13536Licence: CC BY

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title = "Parental age at birth and biomarkers of fecundity in young Danish men",

abstract = "Background: High parental age is associated with adverse birth and genetic outcomes, but little is known about fecundity in male offspring. Objectives: We investigated if high parental age at birth was associated with biomarkers of male fecundity in a large population-based sample of young men. Materials and methods: We conducted a study of 1057 men from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) cohort, a sub-cohort of sons born 1998–2000 into the Danish National Birth Cohort. Semen characteristics and reproductive hormone concentrations were measured in samples provided by the men 2017–2019. Testis volume was determined by self-measurement. Data on the parental age was drawn from registers. Adjusted relative difference in percentage with 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each outcome according to pre-specified maternal and paternal age groups (< 30 (reference), 30–34 and ≥ 35) as well as for combinations of parental age groups, using multivariable negative binomial regression models. Results: We did not observe consistent associations between parental age and biomarkers of fecundity, although sons of mothers ≥ 35 years had lower sperm concentration (−15% (95% CI: −30, 3)) and total sperm count (−10% (95% CI: −25, 9)). The analysis with parental age combinations showed lower sperm concentration with high age of the parents (both ≥ 35 years: −27%, 95% CI: −40, −19) when compared to the reference where both parents were below 30 years. Discussion and conclusion: We found no strong association between higher parental age and biomarkers of fecundity in young men. However, we cannot exclude poorer semen characteristics in sons born by older mothers or with high age of both parents.",

keywords = "cohort study, epidemiology, parental age, paternal factors, reproductive health, semen quality",

author = "Andreas Ernst and Nis Brix and Anne Gaml-S{\o}rensen and Arendt, {Linn H{\aa}konsen} and Gunnar Toft and T{\o}ttenborg, {Sandra S{\o}gaard} and Hougaard, {Karin S{\o}ring} and Bonde, {Jens Peter Ellekilde} and Ramlau-Hansen, {Cecilia H{\o}st}",

year = "2025",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1111/andr.13536",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

pages = "89--100",

journal = "Andrology",

issn = "2047-2919",

publisher = "John Wiley & Sons Inc.",

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T1 - Parental age at birth and biomarkers of fecundity in young Danish men

AU - Ernst, Andreas

AU - Brix, Nis

AU - Gaml-Sørensen, Anne

AU - Arendt, Linn Håkonsen

AU - Toft, Gunnar

AU - Tøttenborg, Sandra Søgaard

AU - Hougaard, Karin Søring

AU - Bonde, Jens Peter Ellekilde

AU - Ramlau-Hansen, Cecilia Høst

PY - 2025/1

Y1 - 2025/1

N2 - Background: High parental age is associated with adverse birth and genetic outcomes, but little is known about fecundity in male offspring. Objectives: We investigated if high parental age at birth was associated with biomarkers of male fecundity in a large population-based sample of young men. Materials and methods: We conducted a study of 1057 men from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) cohort, a sub-cohort of sons born 1998–2000 into the Danish National Birth Cohort. Semen characteristics and reproductive hormone concentrations were measured in samples provided by the men 2017–2019. Testis volume was determined by self-measurement. Data on the parental age was drawn from registers. Adjusted relative difference in percentage with 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each outcome according to pre-specified maternal and paternal age groups (< 30 (reference), 30–34 and ≥ 35) as well as for combinations of parental age groups, using multivariable negative binomial regression models. Results: We did not observe consistent associations between parental age and biomarkers of fecundity, although sons of mothers ≥ 35 years had lower sperm concentration (−15% (95% CI: −30, 3)) and total sperm count (−10% (95% CI: −25, 9)). The analysis with parental age combinations showed lower sperm concentration with high age of the parents (both ≥ 35 years: −27%, 95% CI: −40, −19) when compared to the reference where both parents were below 30 years. Discussion and conclusion: We found no strong association between higher parental age and biomarkers of fecundity in young men. However, we cannot exclude poorer semen characteristics in sons born by older mothers or with high age of both parents.

AB - Background: High parental age is associated with adverse birth and genetic outcomes, but little is known about fecundity in male offspring. Objectives: We investigated if high parental age at birth was associated with biomarkers of male fecundity in a large population-based sample of young men. Materials and methods: We conducted a study of 1057 men from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) cohort, a sub-cohort of sons born 1998–2000 into the Danish National Birth Cohort. Semen characteristics and reproductive hormone concentrations were measured in samples provided by the men 2017–2019. Testis volume was determined by self-measurement. Data on the parental age was drawn from registers. Adjusted relative difference in percentage with 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each outcome according to pre-specified maternal and paternal age groups (< 30 (reference), 30–34 and ≥ 35) as well as for combinations of parental age groups, using multivariable negative binomial regression models. Results: We did not observe consistent associations between parental age and biomarkers of fecundity, although sons of mothers ≥ 35 years had lower sperm concentration (−15% (95% CI: −30, 3)) and total sperm count (−10% (95% CI: −25, 9)). The analysis with parental age combinations showed lower sperm concentration with high age of the parents (both ≥ 35 years: −27%, 95% CI: −40, −19) when compared to the reference where both parents were below 30 years. Discussion and conclusion: We found no strong association between higher parental age and biomarkers of fecundity in young men. However, we cannot exclude poorer semen characteristics in sons born by older mothers or with high age of both parents.

KW - cohort study

KW - epidemiology

KW - parental age

KW - paternal factors

KW - reproductive health

KW - semen quality

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U2 - 10.1111/andr.13536

DO - 10.1111/andr.13536

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37750236

SN - 2047-2919

VL - 13

SP - 89

EP - 100

JO - Andrology

JF - Andrology

IS - 1

M1 - 13536

ER -

Parental age at birth and biomarkers of fecundity in young Danish men

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