Male fertility generally starts to reduce around age 40 to 45 years when sperm quality decreases. Increasing male age reduces the overall chances of pregnancy and increases time to pregnancy (the number of menstrual cycles it takes to become pregnant) and the risk of miscarriage and fetal death.
Men typically never stop producing sperm, but there is a measurable decline in sperm quality as a man ages. The World Health Organization (WHO) has a set of benchmarks, known as semen parameters, for healthy sperm, including count, morphology (shape), and motility (movement).
The age where a man is most fertile is between 22 and 25 years. It is suggested to have children before the age of 35. After this age, the male fertility begins to worsen. After 35, the sperm might result in pregnancies where mutations can occur.
Age and sperm
Men younger than 40 have a better chance of fathering a child than those older than 40. The quality of the sperm men produce seems to decline as they get older. Most men make millions of new sperm every day, but men older than 40 have fewer healthy sperm than younger men.
A trained expert checks your sperm count, their shape, movement, and other characteristics. In general, if you have a higher number of normal-shaped sperm, it means you have higher fertility. But there are plenty of exceptions to this. A lot of guys with low sperm counts or abnormal semen are still fertile.
Men start losing their fertility at age 40.
In a study of more than 1,900 couples, irrespective of the woman's age, IVF attempts involving men 40 or older failed 70 percent more often than IVF attempts involving men younger than 30. Previous theory: Older men produce fewer kids because they get less sex.
Samples collected between the hours of 5am and 7.30am were found to display a statistically higher sperm concentration, total sperm count and a greater percentage of normally shaped sperm, when compared with samples that were collected later in the day.
Another study of intrauterine artificial insemination found that after six cycles, men who were 35 or under had a fertility rate of 52%, whereas men over the age of 35 had a fertility rate of 25%.
Although most men are able to have children well into their 50s and beyond, it becomes gradually more difficult after the age of 40 . There are many reasons for this, including: Sperm quality tends to decrease with age.
Poor diet, stress and alcohol
advanced paternal age has been associated with lower sperm quality. There is a growing call for greater understanding of male infertility and new approaches for its prevention, diagnosis and treatment – as well as an increased awareness of the to tackle pollution.
Rest assured, most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even into their 40s have healthy babies. That doesn't mean you shouldn't think about smart ways to make sure you and your baby stay as healthy as possible during your pregnancy.
About 9% of men and about 11% of women of reproductive age in the United States have experienced fertility problems. In one-third of infertile couples, the problem is with the man.
Men's age and fertility
Male fertility generally starts to reduce around age 40 to 45 years when sperm quality decreases. Increasing male age reduces the overall chances of pregnancy and increases time to pregnancy (the number of menstrual cycles it takes to become pregnant) and the risk of miscarriage and fetal death.
The next time you have sex, the number of sperms is not as much as the first time, but the quality of sperm remains stable, and that quantity is enough for fertilization to occur. This proves that having sex twice in a row is still possible to get pregnant if there is no reasonable protection.
Some studies suggest that moderate ejaculation (2–4 times per week) is associated with a lower prostate cancer risk. However, ejaculating more often doesn't mean your cancer risk drops even more.
Ejaculated sperm remain viable for several days within the female reproductive tract. Fertilization is possible as long as the sperm remain alive — up to five days. Sperm can also be preserved for decades when semen is frozen.
SpermCheck Fertility is easy to use, providing fast, easy-to-read results. Similar to a pregnancy test, the SCF uses colored lines to inform you if there is normal or low sperm count. Done in the privacy of your own home, a semen sample is placed in the solution bottle provided and the two are mixed.
The concentration of sperm is what makes the semen cloudy and thick, so if your ejaculate is watery it is possible that you have a low sperm count. This doesn't mean you're infertile (so precautions to prevent pregnancy still need to be taken for couples that don't want to get pregnant).