title: Fathers over 40 and increased failure to conceive: the lessons of in vitro fertilization in France.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate paternal age effect mediated by biological modifications with use of data from assisted reproductive technologies.
  
  
  METHODS
  National IVF registry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty nine French IVF centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,938 men whose partners were totally sterile, with bilateral tubal obstruction or absence of both tubes (to avoid bias sampling in analysis of paternal age) and treated by conventional IVF.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Risk of failure to conceive defined as absence of intrauterine pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The odds ratio of failure to conceive for paternal age > or =40 years was 2.00 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-3.61) when the woman was 35-37 years old, 2.03 (95% CI: 1.12-3.68) for age 38-40 years, and 5.74 (95% CI: 2.16, 15.23) for age 41 years and over.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As an increasing number of couples choose to postpone childbearing, they should be informed that paternal age over 40 years is an important risk factor for failure to conceive.
authors.affiliation: INED, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, F-94276, France. roche@ined.fr
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de La Rochebrochard
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Mouzon
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thépot
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thonneau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005220:Fathers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D010331:Paternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome