“…Growing evidence indicates that paternal aging is also a risk factor for congenital malformations and genetic disorders (Newcombe and Tavendale, 1965;Savitz et al, 1991;Crow, 2000;Zhu et al, 2008), which may be linked to accumulation of mutations in germ cells of aging parents, perhaps resulting from normal wear and tear as well as exposure to harmful environments over time (Savitz et al, 1991;Yauk et al, 2007;Malik et al, 2008). Moreover, child bearing at a later age is associated with adverse birth outcomes, such as preeclampsia, pre-term birth, stillbirth, low birthweight and child mortality; and predisposition of the offspring to serious health problems such as autism, epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease (Fretts et al, 1995;Bertram et al, 1998;Abel et al, 2002;Harlap et al, 2002;Byrne et al, 2003;Astolfi et al, 2004Astolfi et al, , 2006Vestergaard et al, 2005;Durkin et al, 2008;Zhu et al, 2008). Advanced maternal age at childbirth has been linked to menstrual disorders and subfecundity in daughters owing to endocrinological irregularities (Smits et al, 1997).…”