How age is affecting male fertility
Men don't wait too long to start a family...
But rarely do we talk about a man’s biological clock – Yes, it exists.
Men, just like women can wait too long before they start a family and this can cause problems especially when they are trying to get pregnant.
A new study revealed that women who were under 30 with a male partner aged 30-35 had a 73 percent chance of having a live birth with the help of alternative birth methods like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
The success rate however dropped to 46 percent when the man was aged 40-42.
“This reminds us that it takes two to tango and it’s not just down to the age of the woman,” read the study.
Another interesting discovery from the study found that women aged 35-40 when partnered with younger men aged 30-35, their chances of getting pregnant stood at 54 percent and the figure rose to 70 percent when the man was under 30 years old.
This basically means that a man’s chances of getting his partner pregnant without alternative methods decreases with age.
Reasons
A decline in sperm count and quality of the sperm, an increase in DNA fragmentation and a greater incidence of medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes were revealed to be some of the reasons behind the decrease in male fertility.
The researchers concluded that regardless of the fact that men produce fresh sperm every day, the cells the sperm are made from gather their own mutations and thus older sperm carries more DNA damage.
Not only does waiting too long affect fertility issues but for those that are successful in having a child at an older age risk their child having certain medical conditions such as autism.
Experts’ advice a change in lifestyle for a boost in male fertility.
ALSO READ: 5 foods that are killing your sex drive
The study was to investigate the impact of a man’s age on a couple’s chances of having a baby.
It was conducted by dividing both men and women into four age bands: those under 30, 30-35 year olds, 35-40 year olds and those aged 40-42.
Some of these couples had received up to six cycles of IVF.
The research was conducted at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston and was led by Laura Dodge.
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