CALGARY- Expectant mothers know that their health affects both them and their bundle of joy, but it turns out soon-to-be dads also need to keep their well-being in check.
Research done on animals at the University of Lethbridge found that young ones with fathers who experienced stress one month before their child’s conception showed problems with development and behaviour throughout their lives.
“It just seems to put the child at a bit of a developmental delay, and what we’ve seen in our animal model is that these effects don’t go away, they stay right through adulthood,” explains Robin Gibbs from the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience.
She adds that parents may want to try and time conception accordingly.
“We know that sperm are regenerated every two and a half months or so—about every 75 days—so if you’ve had a really traumatic experience or a lot of stress in your life and you’re thinking about having children, you may just want to wait a couple of months.”
Researchers also found men who had positive experiences up to three months before conception went on to have children who scored better in developmental tests.
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