- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preconception articles
- preconception q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Old Sperm Die Hard
Does Age Affect Sperm Quality?
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
Getting older is a part of life. We all know it, expect it and may even embrace it. However, as our bodies age, so do all of our systems, with some not working as well as they once did. Our eyes, joints and even our hearing may begin to lose their "shine." So is it surprising that aging spares no one and nothing – including sperm?
It is widely known and expected that females gradually become less fertile with age and eventually undergo menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 years. However, it has been believed and proven that the male retains his fertility well into old age. "Men do not go through a traditional endocrinological menopause," says Dr. Sherman J. Silber, of the Infertility Center of St. Louis at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. "Men at middle age do not have hot flashes and dramatic changes in hormone levels as women do. In fact, men have been documented to retain their fertility to as old an age as 94. Thus, it is clear that men do not undergo a menopause similar to women, and men in general can be expected to retain their fertility well into advanced old age."
According to Dr. Silber, until recently we had a poor understanding of the effect of aging on male fertility. As many examples have been offered of older men having babies, the thought of decreased fertility in men was never greatly addressed. "It was assumed that male fertility was relatively immortal because so many elderly men have been able to impregnate their wives," says Dr. Silber. "However, there has been previous crude data showing a relative decrease in sperm count, and possibly fertility, in a certain percentage of aging men. Now, the field of male fertility has come to be mainstream and full of new research, new data and new conclusions."
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||