Researchers from UC Davis published their findings in the February issue of the journal Autism Research showing that mothers who conceived over the age of 40 had 51 percent higher odds of having a child with autism compared with mothers between the ages 25 and 29.
It’s unclear why the risk goes up with maternal age but as we are seeing more and more women going through IVF over age 40 – we need to keep these results in perspective. Until now, I have not counseled patients over 40 that they have an increased risk of having a child with autism. We usually tell women whose male partners are older that they are at risk due to older paternal age but this seems to only play a role when the older man is with a woman under the age of 30 – according to this new study.
To read the media coverage of the study, click here:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/08/autism.mother.age.risks/
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