Lots of health videos circulate on social media, but one of the topic that grabbed attention of many is how man's sperm can affect not just the child's genes, but a mother's pregnancy experience. Dr Kirtly Jones, who has also been featured in the podcast of Health, University of Utah gives insight to how men influence pregnancy and what can to do to prepare for a healthy pregnancy of their partners.

Over the last two decades, researchers have discovered some fascinating insights on how genes can be influenced very early in the development. It could be as early as after fertilization. This is even before the woman herself realizes that she is pregnancy. This is a crucial time for the embryo and it can switch genes on or off to alter the way they function. This is also known as epigenetics. This does not change the DNA, however, it does modify how genes are expressed, and determines how they produce proteins and lastly, how it functions. These changes could continue throughout pregnancy and well into early childhood.

Role of the sperm

Historically and conventionally, the role of men in reproduction was believed to be limited to providing genetic material through sperm. This was thought as a simple delivery of DNA to the egg. However, there have been research that prove that this is more complex than thought.

Turns out, that genes in sperm can also be influenced by the environment in which they develop inside the man. These environmental modifications to sperm could also carry over and affect the development of the child.

In a 2013 study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, it was studied how stress in male mice impacts their offspring. The researchers were able to see that stressed mouse dads experienced changes in their sperm and their offspring also exhibited abnormal stress. This was different when the offspring were compared to those of non-stressed dads.

For a mouse, it takes around 42 days to produce sperm and it was during this period when the mouse dads were exposed to stressors. This involved smell of foxes, wet bedding, brief restriction in a tube, and unfamiliar noises. Although DNA of the stressed dads' sperm was identical to that of the non-stressed mouse dad, the way it was processed was totally different.

These changes in sperm epigenetics is what led to stress responses abnormalities in the offspring as adults.

Now, talking about the human dads, or dads-to-be, precisely, the evidence that a father's health and behavior can also affect their sperm could be seen. A study that examined the cord blood of babies born to obese men revealed changes in how a particular gene regulating growth and calorie was expressed.

Wait, there's more!

What men eat could also impact how a mother feels during pregnancy.

While women are asked to not drink and smoke during pregnancy because it may impact the baby's health, it is also because babies are literally connected to mothers. But does dad's behavior matter too?

A fetus is physically connected to its mother, and factors like her physical and mental health, exposure to toxins, and nutrition have long been acknowledged as key to a newborn’s fitness. Yet the father’s role in ensuring a healthy pregnancy is often overlooked. That’s unfortunate because growing evidence suggests that fathers play a much more significant role than previously thought.

What’s more, this responsibility doesn’t just begin at conception. Both parents’ health and lifestyle choices before trying to conceive can profoundly influence their baby’s health.

How does it influence pregnancy and child's health?

Sperm plays a vital role in the formation of the placenta, a structure crucial to fetal development. Impaired sperm has been linked to higher miscarriage rates, likely because damaged sperm contains elevated levels of harmful free radicals.

There have been studies that proved that sperm can carry "biological memories" of environmental and lifestyle factors that influence gene expression. These epigenetic changes don’t alter the DNA itself but affect how genes function, leaving chemical marks on them. Alarmingly, these modifications can be passed down to future generations.

In rodent studies, exposure to certain endocrine disruptors caused epigenetic changes in sperm that were transmitted to over 90% of male descendants for up to three generations. This process, known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, highlights how a father’s environment and habits can have far-reaching consequences.

Getting children to be active and socialize is a big part of parenting. Even kids, no matter how energetic they are, like lazing around and relaxing. However, this habit can catch on quick, but they are not entirely at fault for it.

A new study has found a strong connection between what parents do and how active their kids are. It turns out that children are more likely to be "couch potatoes" or full of energy based on what they see their moms and dads doing every day.

In a study published in the journal Sports Medicine and Health Science. Researchers showed that when parents have an active routine, their children are less likely to sit still for long periods. The study followed 182 kids and their parents for a week and found that children of inactive parents were more sedentary, while those with active parents were more active themselves.

Do Mothers Influence Their Kids More Than Fathers?

Interestingly, the study discovered that mothers have more than twice the influence of fathers on their children's physical activity. This finding held true even when the researchers considered other things like the family’s income or the child’s age. The experts believe that active parents not only know how important exercise is but also actively encourage their kids. They might be more likely to limit screen time and support activity by taking their children to the park, buying sports equipment, or setting up games in the backyard.

How Can We Encourage Kids to Be More Active?

While a lack of time or safe places to play can make it hard for kids to be active, this study highlights how important a parent's example is. The results suggest that by promoting active habits within families, we can improve the health of the next generation. The researchers believe these findings can be used to create public campaigns and policies that encourage families to live a more active lifestyle together.

How Can Lack Of Activity in Children Affect Their Health?

According to the American Heart Association, physical activity is vital for everyone, but it’s especially important for helping children grow into healthy adults. They suggests that kids and teens (ages 6–17) should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. In a world full of digital distractions, it can be a challenge to get kids moving, but teaching them healthy habits now can set them up for a lifetime of well-being.

Kids are naturally active, but they often become less so as they get older, especially girls. If your child's interests change, that's okay—the key is to help them find a new activity they enjoy.

• Be active yourself and find ways to get the whole family moving together.
• Encourage your kids to choose activities they genuinely like. Don't use physical activity as a form of punishment.
• Reduce the amount of time they spend on devices, watching TV, or playing video games.
• Give them toys and equipment like bikes, skateboards, and balls.
• Encourage them to join sports or other activities like dance or swimming. Explore local parks, pools, and bike paths.
• If your child is currently inactive, begin with small, gradual steps to avoid injury or discouragement.
• Reward and encourage your kids for their efforts to help them stay motivated.

Imagine going to bed after a long road trip and waking up in the middle of the night with what feels like food poisoning, only to find yourself giving birth in a hotel bathroom.

That’s exactly what happened to Helen Green, 45, during a family vacation in Toronto, Canada. Helen had no baby bump, no missed periods, no morning sickness, nothing to suggest she was pregnant. But just hours after checking into their Holiday Inn room, Helen suddenly felt the urge to push.

“I had no idea what was happening, my body just took over,” she said, as the New York Post reports. After two intense pushes, she gave birth right there in the bathroom, delivering a healthy baby girl, Olivia, into her own arms.

Her husband, Michael, woke up to the sound of a crying newborn.

When Pregnancy Hides: The Reality of Cryptic Pregnancies

Helen’s experience is not just rare, it’s medically recognized. She had what doctors call a cryptic pregnancy (sometimes called a stealth pregnancy).

A cryptic pregnancy is when a person doesn’t realize they are pregnant until very late in the pregnancy, or, in some cases, until labor starts.

While most people find out they are pregnant between 4–12 weeks, usually after missing a period, cryptic pregnancies go unnoticed because there are no obvious symptoms, or the symptoms are mistaken for something else (stress, perimenopause, food issues, etc.).

Experts estimate that about 1 in 475 pregnancies go undetected until 20 weeks, and about 1 in 2,500 remain hidden until delivery, just like Helen’s.

Why It Happens

There are several medical and hormonal reasons why a pregnancy can go undetected:

Perimenopause or PCOS: Irregular cycles can mask a missed period.

Recent childbirth: If you’re still breastfeeding, ovulation can be unpredictable, leading you to believe you can’t get pregnant.

Birth control use: Even with perfect use, there’s still a chance of pregnancy, which can make symptoms easy to dismiss.

False negatives on pregnancy tests: Rare, but possible if taken too early or incorrectly.

No pregnancy symptoms: Some people simply don’t experience nausea, breast tenderness, or weight gain.

A Medical and Emotional Shock

For Helen, the shock was doubled by her history, she had experienced multiple miscarriages after the birth of her first daughter and believed she was entering perimenopause.

“I worked, exercised, wore the same clothes and ate the same food as usual,” she said. “Even the doctors at the hospital were surprised.”

Listen to Your Body

Cryptic pregnancies are rare, but they highlight an important health message: never ignore sudden, unexplained changes in your body.

If you’re experiencing unusual bleeding, bloating, weight changes, or persistent fatigue, especially if you’re in perimenopause or on birth control, it’s worth talking to a healthcare provider and getting tested.

Because as shocking as Helen’s story sounds, it’s a reminder that pregnancy can still surprise you, even at 45, even without symptoms, and even on vacation.

For months, the parents of 12-year-old Rahul were puzzled by his strange behavior at the dinner table. He would suddenly stop eating, stare blankly, twitch his lips, and rest his head on the table, only to resume eating a few minutes later as if nothing had happened. His parents initially dismissed this as fussiness or "temper tantrums."

At first, Rahul's parents thought his strange behavior at the dinner table was just him being difficult. But when he started getting really bad headaches that kept him from playing sports and doing his schoolwork, they knew something was wrong and took him to a doctor. The headaches looked a lot like migraines at first.

But when his parents mentioned the strange way he acted while eating, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD immediately had a suspicion. This seemingly small detail was the key to understanding what was happening. It turned out Rahul had a rare condition called Eating Epilepsy, where the act of chewing and swallowing can cause seizures. A special video test while he was eating finally confirmed the diagnosis, showing that his odd behavior was actually a type of seizure.

This is a real-life case Neurologist Sudhir Kumar posted on his social media X. He detailed the case and highlighted this rare-form of epilepsy.

What is Eating Epilepsy?

According to the European Journal of Epilepsy, eating epilepsy is a rare condition where seizures are triggered by eating. Though it can look different from person to person, some common patterns have been found through a review of 52 studies involving 378 patients.

This review, which looked at studies published before March 2020, aimed to better understand this unique disorder. Here's what the research found:

Eating seizures most often begin in a person's teenage years, and they are more common in males.

The seizures are typically focal-onset, meaning they start in a specific area of the brain. Most commonly, they are a type called focal impaired awareness seizures, where the person appears to be awake but isn't fully aware of their surroundings.

In the studies, 80% of the patients were treated with medication. However, about 25% of them had poor control over their seizures, meaning the medication didn't work very well.

How Was Eating Seizures Treated in Rahul?

Dr Sudhir explained that once he knew what was wrong, they were able to help Rahul right away. They gave him the proper medication to control the seizures, and they also treated his migraines. Within a month, his headaches were much better, and he was able to eat without any problems. Six months later, Rahul was back to being a normal, happy kid. He could eat, play, and study without fear. The whole family was relieved that the stressful dinner-time episodes were finally over.

Dr Sudhir’s Lessons For Medical Professionals

This case offers several important lessons for junior doctors, said Dr Sudhir in his post. He listed 5 crucial points that all medical professionals should remember when treating patients.

Listen carefully to the patient's history. What parents describe as "tantrums" or "fussiness" might be a sign of a neurological disorder.

Consider rare conditions. Be aware of reflex epilepsies, which can be triggered by specific actions like eating, reading, or flashing lights.

Use diagnostic tools wisely. A video EEG, where the suspected trigger is provoked under medical supervision, can be the only way to confirm a rare epilepsy.

Treat all conditions. Rahul had both epilepsy and migraines. Addressing both of these issues was key to dramatically improving his quality of life.

Show empathy. Reassuring and addressing the family's concerns is just as important as prescribing the right medication.

He ended the post with a cautious note “Not all unusual behaviors in children are "habits" or "tantrums." Sometimes, they may signal an underlying medical condition. Timely medical attention can make all the difference.”