Sperm banking “should be free on the NHS”

It's claimed young men should think about freezing their sperm if they're considering having children later in life.

An expert at Abertay University in Dundee reckons sperm from older men could reduce human fitness in the long run.

It's because of a higher rate of mutations which could cause autistic spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

Dr Kevin Smith's paper published in the Journal of Medical ethics suggests that although the dad might not carry the mutations that cause issues, their sperm could. These problems could then be passed on to his children, and the older the father the more chance of mutations.

Dr Smith says that with people choosing to have kids later in life, the risk of a mutation increases, so freezing sperm early would reduce the possibility of the disorders.

Dr Smith thinks early fatherhood is the best way to reduce the risks of this phenomenon – known as the Paternal Age Effect. He explained:

“If we truly want to prevent future generations suffering from the preventable diseases associated with the Paternal Age Effect, we need to start thinking about how to reduce the risks sooner rather than later.”

Because of the stigma attached to teenage parents though, he suggests that the fastest and most practical solution is for all young men to be given the option to bank their sperm at the age of 18.

Dr Smith thinks by working with the NHS the intiative can be implemented:

“Although it would require a change in what we as society currently think is acceptable, this could easily be solved with a public health campaign. These have been successful in the past – for example where the link between smoking and low birthweight was established."