A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
There's no maximum age that stops a man from being able to have a baby. You can become a father long into your older years, but there are risks.
Definition: De facto population of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in a country, area or region as of 1 July of the year indicated.
Although a man's fertility can theoretically last until death, sperm production has been found to decline from around the age of 50. Although it is still possible to conceive a child, and many men do have children in their 50s or later, it may take longer for you and your partner to become pregnant.
While it's not impossible to become pregnant naturally at 50, it is very rare. Women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have. As you get older, you have fewer eggs, and they are more likely to have abnormalities. Most women who get pregnant after 50 use donor eggs.
A 70-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy baby after 54 years of trying to have a baby and dealing with fertility issues. A 70-year-old woman gave birth in India after 54 years of marriage in which she and her husband constantly tried to have children and couldn't.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
Men's age matters too
We've all heard about men in their 80s and 90s fathering children, but this is rare. A father's age also affects the chance of a couple getting pregnant. It takes longer for partners of men older than 40 years to conceive.
Older fathers
Men's fertility doesn't stop as abruptly as women's. The testis can still produce the male hormone testosterone and sperm cells, enabling some men to father children in to their 90s. However, this doesn't mean men's fertility is unaffected by age.
While the effects of female age on fertility have been known for a long time, more recent studies have found that the age of the male partner also affects the chance of pregnancy and pregnancy health. Male fertility generally starts to reduce around age 40 to 45 years when sperm quality decreases.
Male Fertility Facts
Peak male fertility is around 25-29 years old. Sperm quality begins to decline at 30. At 45, men begin to experience a significant decrease in semen volume. Older men can also take longer to conceive a child.
The reproductive stage of life in females begins in adolescence (10 to 12 years old) and lasts until about the age of 45 to 50 years. Menarche, the start of the first menstrual cycle in females represents the start of their reproductive age.
There is very limited data about men in extreme old age (80 yr and older). Of older men who produce spermatozoa in their ejaculates, sperm motility, a manifestation of viability and fertilizing capacity, tends to be reduced. The ability of men to impregnate their wives gradually reduces from age 25 onward.
There is no set time period when a man's sperm production stops. Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. Men, on the other hand, are able to produce sperm cells for their entire lives. As men age, testosterone levels go down and for some, it might be hard to get an erection.
While a 92-year-old woman delivering a 60-year-old baby may sound like a bizarre plot twist from the movie “Benjamin Button,” it's true. Huang Yijun, 92, of southern China, recently delivered a child which she'd been carrying for well over half a century. The baby wasn't alive, however.
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.
The body breaks down unused sperm, which does not build up to trigger further problems. Over time, not ejaculating can trigger psychological problems. For example, people with sexual dysfunctions that affect their ability to ejaculate may experience distress or embarrassment. It can also lead to relationship problems.
Sperm motility
Whereas sperm quality is at the best levels between ages 30-35, motility is best before age 25. And as with semen quality, motility declines dramatically after age 55.
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 scientists also note that at the age of 35, the proportion of sperm carrying an X chromosome also seems to increase, meaning older dads are more likely to have daughters. In human reproduction, the Y chromosome is responsible for making a male child.
Xinju Tian, who was 67 years old when she gave birth in 2023, set a new record for the oldest woman to give birth naturally.
Although pregnancy after menopause is very rare, it can lead to vaginal bleeding like pregnancy in reproductive years. Thus, when women refer to clinics or hospitals with complaints of postmenopausal bleeding, the possibility of pregnancy should be included in the differential diagnosis by physicians or midwives.
Oldest fathers: medical considerations
The website of the world record authority Guinness World Records lists the oldest father ever as Australian Les Colley (1898-1998), who allegedly fathered his ninth child at age 92 with a Fijian woman he met through a dating agency.