A new study suggests men’s health may significantly influence their partners’ pregnancy outcomes, as well as their children’s future health.
The new review, published in the journal The Lancet on Monday, analyzed multiple studies and concluded that a man’s health prior to conception, including their mental health, nutrition, lifestyle choices like smoking, and environmental factors, may all have an impact on their partner’s pregnancy.
“Across biological and behavioural research, young men’s early life course experiences have been shown to shape their own and their partner’s preconception physical, emotional, and behavioural health,” the study authors wrote in their summary.
Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images – PHOTO: Stock photo of a pregnant woman embraced by a man.
The studies analyzed by the authors drew conclusions about men’s alcohol use, age and mental health.
When it came to alcohol use, men who drank before their child was conceived had a 35% higher risk of birth defects, according to one large study.
Other studies linked a father’s age to a higher risk of certain conditions in their children, suggesting that fathers who were 45 and older may have a higher chance of having kids with autism.
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For mental health, studies seemed to suggest that men with depression had a 42% higher chance of having children with depression.
The observational study could not establish direct cause and effect, with the authors noting that more research is needed to address existing disparities.
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The authors concluded in their analysis that looking only at a pregnant person’s health and not considering the health of their partner falls short of an equal, healthy and holistic approach.
“Focusing on men’s preconception health offers a corrective for legacies of sexism, which place responsibility for intergenerational health solely on the birthing parent, and of racism and colonialism, which have disproportionately disrupted the familial and societal roles of Black and Brown men,” the authors wrote in part in the study summary.
