The older you get, the more likely you are to have a baby with cleft lip

　　Generally, 1 to 2 cases per 1,000 births are congenital“ harelip ”. Scientists have found that "harelips" are related to certain genetic defects, and maternal smoking and insufficient folic acid intake in early pregnancy may also have an impact.

　　Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark found that older parents increase the risk of newborns suffering from "harelip".

　　Danish researchers analyzed records of nearly 1.5 million births in Denmark between 1973 and 1996. They found that the risk of a newborn developing harelips increased with the age of both parents. Compared with 30-year-old mothers, mothers aged 40 have a 20% higher risk of neonatal harelips ； Between the ages of 20 and 50, for every 10 years the father's age increases, the risk of a newborn having "harelip" increases by 12%. However, if one parent is extremely young, this rule no longer applies.

　　Researchers don't yet know how a parent's age affects a child's development, but they speculate that male For example, the elderly father’s sperm May be more susceptible to genetic defects, increasing the child's risk of disease.