sperms Image: Unsplash
Most women are aware that, as they get older, their likelihood of enjoying a fuss-free pregnancy diminishes. On the flip side, most men are not.
As it turns out, women are not the sole victims of the infamous fertility clock. Men's fertility starts to decline at almost exactly the same age as women's, and that decline has pretty worrying implications for both the possibility and health of pregnancy. Coupled with the fact that Australian men are becoming fathers later, there is some cause for concern.
In the past, men were excluded from the "ticking biological clock" conversation due to their ability to produce new sperm daily. Women, on the other hand, are born with a limited supply of eggs and lose thousands each month, and so were told they had more to worry about.
Current research, however, finds that while men can become dads well into their 90s (even though, you know, you shouldn't), male fertility begins to decline in the same age range as female fertility–between 35 and 40 years. So, between those ages, what happens?
As men age, their testosterone levels naturally decline, which means that sperm-producing organs become slower and less efficient. During conception, sperm enters a kind of evolutionary rat race–only the fastest and healthiest sperm gets to fertilise the egg.
That race is at the heart of men's biological clock predicament: older men tend to have a lower sperm count in terms of both quality and quantity. Fewer rats in the race means less chance of a healthy pregnancy–or, in fact, any pregnancy at all.
When we say that paternal age can affect pregnancy, that can mean a few different things. Research shows that older men are more likely to struggle to get their partners pregnant, even during IVF treatment, and also more likely to expose them to negative health outcomes.
For women between the ages of 35 and 40, there is a “significant drop” in the live birth rate if the male partner was aged 40 and above.
Even if a female partner is young and healthy, research from Rutgers found that men aged 45 and older are more likely to put them at risk of very-not-fun pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and preterm birth.
That same Rutgers study found that infants born to older fathers face an increased risk of a lot of things, including newborn seizures, premature birth, low birth weight and birth defects such as congenital heart disease.
As they matured, those children had higher incidence of childhood cancers, and a higher chance of developing psychiatric and cognitive disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar. Additional studies have shown that the risk of autism starts in increase when the father is 30.
Admittedly, that all sounds quite dire. But if you're planning on becoming a dad later in life and this has all come as a rude shock, don't worry. It's not all over yet. The good news is that there are some really simple steps you can take to maintain the health of your swimmers for when you do decide to use them.
You've heard it a thousand times: a healthy lifestyle reduces your risk of developing basically every single negative health outcome. For younger men, that means that eating well and exercising regularly, as well as limiting your consumption of alcohol, drugs and tobacco, can help to keep sperm healthier for longer.
You might also consider having a fertility specialist perform a semen analysis to check in on the quantity, size, shape and liveliness of your sperm, so you can get a head start on any fertility issues you might face.
If you're in your 30s and want to preserve your sperm while it's at its best, consider freezing it. Essentially the male equivalent of freezing your eggs, sperm banking is a simple procedure in which a medical professional extracts sperm to be stored in a lab for later use. It's an especially great option for men who are considering getting a vasectomy.
We're way past the days of pressuring anyone to start a family before they're ready and, really, no one should feel like they're being penalised for moving through life at their own pace.
In fact, being an older dad can actually be a good thing. Parents are having kids later than they used to, and the trend has had broadly positive outcomes for children. Kids born to older parents tend to have more emotional and financial security under their belts, and some studies suggest they may even live longer.
In any case, biological clocks (both male and female) don't carry the same kind of weight they used to. Pregnancy alternatives–from surrogacy, to sperm and egg donation, to adoption–are becoming more normalised, as are non-nuclear families in all of their forms.
So, next time you're at the dinner table and a female relative is asked when she's planning to have kids because tick, tick, tick, sympathise, and know you can both chill out. It's really not a ticking time bomb.
[Via GQ Australia]
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