The report suggests that because the male reproductive system does not work properly until a few years after puberty, the offspring of fathers who conceived in their teens are more likely to suffer from autism, schizophrenia and spina bifida.
The research, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, indicate that high levels of DNA mutations in the sperm cells of teenage boys create a 30% higher risk that offspring will be born with one of the above conditions.
Scientists discovered that teenage sperm cells underwent almost a third more mutations that sperm cells of men in their twenties which lead researcher Dr. Peter Forster said helped to explain birth defects in children born to teenage parents.
Unsure as to why these mutations take place, Dr. Forster surmised: "It may be that it needs a bit of a warm-up period for the system to work properly. Possibly the DNA copying mechanism is particularly error-prone at the beginning of male puberty."
Keen to assure the public that the findings shouldn't cause undue worry, Dr. Forster asserted that the numbers involved are particularly low.
Commenting on his team's findings, Dr. Forster said: "It may be one more reason for it being best for teenage boys not to have children, but it should not be the only reason."
