Older moms linked to autism risk

The link between baby health and parent age is not a new issue. Plenty of studies point out that there are more health risks involved for babies when parents are older such as higher risks of birth defects, low birth weight and some chromosome problems Now however, a new long term (10 year) study has found a link between autism and the mother's age at conception. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, note, "The risk of having a child with full syndrome autism increases with maternal age." Study findings, published in the February issue of the journal Autism Research note the following points...

• Mothers over the age of 40 had 51 percent higher odds of having children with autism compared with mothers between the ages 25 and 29.
• The father's age also played a factor, but only when he had a child with a woman under 30.
• It's unclear why the mother's age has more bearing in autism risk than the father's.

The study also emphasizes that just because you're older you shouldn't freak. While autism has been on a strong rise in the last decade, older women having children contributed to only 5% more cases of autism. Basically, you have to keep the study in perspective. For one thing, no one is absolutely sure what causes autism at this point. Secondly while there can be risks when you have a baby over the age of 35-40 there are benefits to being an older mama too. *Read more about this new study.