Ask the doctor: Is there a chance I am not my son’s father?

My wife and I can both roll our tongues but our son can't. I'm worried about his paternity (Photo: Shutterstock)

I am a 36-year-old woman and have no children, but I am planning on having some in a few years. Is it true that with advancing age I increase my chances of getting a child with Down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy?

Yes, these conditions have been associated with problematic pregnancies and abnormal foetal development. After age 35, older eggs tend to have abnormal cell division where the chromosomes may fail to separate in the correct way, leading to an excess number of expected chromosomes.