How dads affect their children’s health
The Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome has been active for years through the Mammainforma.it project , to make future parents aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle for mothers and fathers, to reduce the probability of health problems in the child.
A few months ago, Conceivecorner.com and Nostrofiglio.it actively collaborated with this project to collect information on the lifestyle of future dads through a survey addressed to their readers.
We are always led to think, erroneously, that it is only the mother who has to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order not to compromise the health of the unborn child. Nothing more wrong. The state of health of the father and the substances with which she comes into contact clearly interfere with the future health of the child she will conceive.
Obesity
We know that obesity , smoking, drug taking and occupational exposure to toxic substances can compromise not only the health of the future parent, but also that of the child to be born.
The survey showed that almost half of those interviewed (45%) suffer from being overweight or obese. Studies indicate obesity as a risk factor for mutations in fetal DNA.
The smoke
One in three dads admitted to smoking. Cigarette smoking is one of those responsible for the decrease in male fertility and among those responsible for the increased risk of congenital cardiac, anorectal and genitourinary tract malformations.
Cigarette smoking also increases the probability that the child will develop childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a 25% higher probability than the children of fathers who do not smoke. This percentage rises dramatically to 44% if the number of cigarettes smoked exceeds 20 per day.
Toxic chemicals
Exposure to toxic substances can also cause problems in the unborn child. Among those interviewed, 22% were exposed to dangerous substances, especially pesticides (10%).
This situation can be dangerous if the exposure is continuous, i.e. it occurs or has occurred for a long time.
In particular, prolonged exposure to organic solvents present in paints, in some chemical industries and in dry cleaners, can increase the probability of spina bifida in the unborn child by 50%.
The jobs most at risk in this sense are represented by: gardeners, cooks, cleaners and personnel employed in the agricultural sector.
Obviously, some drugs must also be included among the dangerous substances: the active ingredients of some anti- inflammatories, antihypertensives, antipsychotics or medicines for the treatment of gastric problems can increase the risk of pregnancy complications and congenital defects by 50%.
Of the interviewees, despite almost half taking medicines, none were among those harmful to the future health of the child.
I’d like to think that a couple of aspiring parents, when they decide to have a child, question each other about these issues to try to limit the risks.
This too is a form of responsibility towards the life that will be born.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.