Freeze sperm at 18, bioethicist urges men

The sperm of all 18-year-olds should live frozen for function inward afterward life because of the risks attached alongside beingness an older father, a United Kingdom bioethicist has argued.

Sperm becomes to a greater extent than prone to errors alongside age, increasing the chance of autism, schizophrenia as well as other disorders.
Dr Kevin Smith, from Abertay University inward Dundee, says sperm-banking on the NHS should "become the norm".

The British Fertility Society said such a act would "provide a really synthetic approach to procreation".
It called for a greater focus inward the United Kingdom on supporting immature couples to accept go as well as accept children.
Men are having children afterward - the fair historic period of fatherhood inward England as well as Wales has increased from 31 inward the early on 1990s to 33 now.

But piece it remains possible to accept children good into one-time age, at that place are consequences.
Making his example inward the Journal of Medical Ethics, Dr Smith said fifty-fifty pocket-sized increases inward the chance of affliction could accept a large number when scaled upwards across a whole nation.
Dr Kevin Smith says sperm banks should "become the norm"
He told the BBC News website: "I intend on a society-wide basis, nosotros make take to concern well-nigh it - it is a really existent as well as pronounced effect.

"It's fourth dimension nosotros took seriously the number of paternal historic period as well as its number on the adjacent generation of children."
His solution is sperm banking for everyone on the NHS as well as hence that inward older historic period men tin plough to the sperm from their younger selves.

He said at that place was no fixed historic period when individual could go an "older dad" but that people inward their 40s mightiness desire to render the sperm banking concern freezer.
He said sperm should live banked ideally around the historic period of 18.
It costs £150-200 per twelvemonth to go on sperm privately, although an NHS equivalent should live cheaper to run.



Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: "This is ane of the most ridiculous suggestions I accept heard inward a long time."

He said the risks from fathering children afterward inward life were "really quite small".
"We know that the sperm from the bulk of men won't freeze really well, which is ane of the reasons why sperm donors are inward brusk supply," he added.

"Therefore, men who froze their sperm at 18, as well as returned to function it afterward inward life, would essentially live request their wives to undergo ane or to a greater extent than IVF procedures inward guild to get-go a family."
'False security'
Professor Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society, disagreed alongside the take for a universal sperm bank.

He said: "Not solely does it furnish a really synthetic approach to procreation, but too a imitation feel of safety every bit the applied science does non guarantee a baby."
He warned that frozen sperm were less fertile than fresh ones as well as couples would live probable to accept to depend on IVF.

Prof Balen argued: "I don't intend nosotros should live advising all women as well as men to freeze eggs as well as sperm for an uncertain future, but back upwards immature couples to accept go as well as accept children - that may require a societal shift inward philosophy."

He said other countries, specially inward Scandinavia, were meliorate than the United Kingdom at providing childcare as well as motherhood as well as paternity leave.
Sheena Lewis, the chair of the British Andrology Society, said: "Men should intend well-nigh their families much before inward their lives.

"We take to acquire the message across that it's actually a much meliorate thought for men every bit good every bit women to accept their children inward their 20s as well as 30s."

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