It has long been known that aging causes women to have serious problems with infertility, culminating in the inability to get pregnant after going through menopause. This has been a big issue in the infertility medicine community because of the fact that so many modern women delay having children into their later years and then find themselves struggling with fertility issues. However, research indicates that it isn't just the ladies who have this problem.
A new report suggests that men have more problems with infertility as they get older as well. Over 12,000 couples were studied over the course of a four-year research project completed in 2006. The results of the study show that the sperm from men in their late thirties was significantly less likely to result in a healthy pregnancy than the sperm from younger men.
It is not clear that this time what causes men to contribute to infertility issues as they age. However, it is believed that the DNA in the sperm may be damaged over time. Like with women, the younger male body is more capable of producing healthy offspring.
Question of the Day: How does aging affect male fertility?
