Age and male fertility
Men often think that their age doesn’t matter when it comes to having a child and the biological clock is important only for the child-bearing mother. However, the number and quality of the sperm declines with your age. From a biological standpoint, experts recommend a man is best suited to fatherhood from his late 20s to early 30s.
It is still possible for men to father a child in their 50s and older. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest man to father a child was 92 years old at the time of the birth. Still, researchers have found that a man’s age can affect a couple’s chances of becoming pregnant. Males over 40 years of age have a lower likelihood of success.
Sperm health and fertility
Sperm health can depend on various factors which influence chances of fertility. In terms of quantity, fertility is most likely if the semen discharged in a single ejaculation contains at least 15 million sperm per milliliter. Too little sperm in an ejaculation might make it more difficult to get pregnant. When it comes to sperm motility, pregnancy is possible with less than 40% of the sperm in ejaculate moving, with 40% being the threshold since the more the better chances of fertility.
What window are you most fertile?
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. Going further, if the age of the man is above 45 years, then the chances of having a miscarriage are much higher, irrespective of the age of the pregnant woman.
Lifestyle factors that hamper fertility
There are many lifestyle factors that can hamper your sperm quality. These include a poor diet, smoking, drinking alcohol, taking recreational drugs and obesity. Sperm motility is the ability of sperm to move efficiently through the woman’s reproductive tract to reach and fertilize the egg. Smoking has been associated not just with a decrease in the sperm quality, but also their amount and motility.
How to produce optimum sperm
In order to produce optimum sperm, it is essential to eat healthy foods. If you’re overweight, losing a few kilos will make it easier for you to conceive. Some studies suggest that a diet rich in antioxidants can also help. Cut back on alcohol and smoking to improve your sperm quality. Quitting both gradually is the best option. Keep your groin cool as your testicles make the best sperm when they’re slightly cooler than the rest of your body. To do this, avoid wearing too tight clothes, resting a laptop in your lap for long, spending a lot of time in a hot environment, or sitting for long periods of time.
How to preserve your fertility
A healthy lifestyle is a great way for improving your overall sperm health. However, there is no guarantee that it will prevent the effects of your old age on your fertility. If you want to protect your fertility, you can consider freezing your sperm while it’s at its youngest and healthiest quality. Sperm freezing is the process of collecting, analyzing, freezing and storing a man’s sperm. This can provide you with more flexibility when it comes to when you want to have children.
At what age men stop producing sperm?
Men typically never stop producing sperm, but there is a decline in sperm quality with age. The World Health Organization has set semen parameters which are benchmarks for healthy sperm. These include count, morphology (shape), and motility (movement). Starting around the age of 35, men may see their semen parameters getting worse.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
