The Lowdown on Men's Slowdown

You’ve probably heard the claim that male fertility stays top-notch forever. A handful of prolific male celebrities might have something to do with that…

It’s time to set the record straight.

The graph below does look a little different for men compared to women and birthing parents, but let’s face it, male fertility declines with age too. Read on for the lowdown.

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The Magic Number
Men gradually become less fertile from around 45 onwards. Okay, it’s no menopause. We’ve all heard about the chap who fathered a child at 96. However, male age can still reduce the speed of falling pregnant and increase the likelihood of miscarriage and birthing complications.

Why Does Male Fertility Go Down With Age?
A major study published in 2020 found that:

The movement (motility) of the sperm men produce changes. (Basically, the sperm find it harder to face the challenge of swimming to the egg.)
Semen volume and sperm count decrease above the age of 50.
Similar to eggs, damage to sperm DNA increases with age. This may be associated with miscarriage or a lower success rate for fertility treatments.

Can You Improve Your Swimmers?
Yes, to an extent. Ovaries contain all the eggs they’ll ever have from day one, but testicles make several million new sperm every day. This means it’s easy-ish to make big improvements in just 90 days through lifestyle changes such as avoiding nicotine and reducing alcohol. Read more in our Preconception Guide here.

For Fans of Home Testing
You can buy kits to check your sperm health. Not all of them test for quality as well as quantity, so be sure to do your research. And try not to over-obsess.

If you or your partner are curious about your sperm health, ExSeed offers a convenient clinical-grade test. The 15-minute test is equivalent in accuracy to a clinical test and gives you tools to improve your chances of conceiving.

Use code: BEA10 for 10% off your order.

Claim Your Discount

The ExSeed Sperm testing kit is an easy-to-use male fertility test you can do entirely from home. Find out your Total Motile Sperm Count and then improve your fertility with a personalised in-app programme.

Next Week: Future Fertility

We have some ideas for those who want to be ready to go… when the time is right.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and we’ll see you next Friday!

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