Report finds stillbirth and miscarriage risk linked to father’s health

A study has found that stillbirths and miscarriages are more likely if the child’s father suffers from health problems linked to obesity.

The report discovered that over 25 per cent of pregnancies may be ectopic or result in stillbirth or miscarriage if the father-to-be has three or more conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity or high cholesterol levels.

Researchers who examined up to one million pregnancies in the US between 2009 and 2016 found that the mother had an increased risk of losing her baby if the father had metabolic syndrome, when a person has at least three of five medical conditions, including high blood pressure, excess body fat around the waist, or high blood sugar.

The study found that the risk of pregnancy loss increased by 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 19 per cent for men who suffered from one or more of the health conditions in comparison to males who suffered from no elements of metabolic syndrome.

Professor Michael Eisenberg, who oversaw the research, said “It’s been known for some time that the health of mothers has an impact on the developing foetus and events at the time of birth.

“This is the first study to suggest that pregnancies sired by men with increasing numbers of medical conditions are at higher risk of ending in miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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