Infertility can affect men at any age. Yes, you read it right because men over 40 can be affected by infertility too. For this reason, we found 5 facts you might not know about fertility over 40.
- Poor lifestyle accelerates infertility
Men age while growing wealthier. Besides, they attain financial freedom faster than women, thus having more time in their hands.
Unmarried men have no family responsibilities weighing them down. And, unlike women, they care less about their aging parents.
How then do these men best use their free time and extra disposal income? Your guess is correct. They enjoy life and spend time parting, drinking, and smoking.
And here lies their future infertility complications. They rest less and so their bodies produce less testosterone.
Further, they eat mostly junk food, full of oils, salt, and processed ingredients. These hinder sperm production.
As if these are not bad enough, such men may indulge in recreational drugs. They smoke marijuana, cigarettes, and other steroids. When they couple these vices with casual sex, they contract STIs such as HIV with ease.
As a result, their mental and physical faculties deteriorate. The end result is infertility.
As per the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a recent case-control study with 302 participants revealed a correlation between physical inactivity and male infertility. Additionally, modifiable lifestyle factors, including fat-rich diets, delayed childbearing/starting a family, smoking, alcohol misuse, sexual behavior, anxiety/depression, and perception/beliefs, were found to be associated with fertility. These effects become evident, particularly after the age of 40 years.
- Sperm count drops
Males continue to delay fatherhood for many reasons. For those who are married, their spouses set baby-making agenda.
But starting a family at 40+ years has its complications. The more prominent one pertains to the sperm quantity.
Normal sperm manufacture takes three months from stem to fully developed sperm. But as you age, this process slows down.
Further, if your scrotum is still loaded, the manufacture comes to a halt. What you remain with is aged and expired sperms.
The sperm count in semen also declines. Low sperm count range from 20 to 40 million per millimeter of semen.
As you age seminal discharge volume reduces. Thus, instead of gushing out 3-6 milliliters of semen, you may only manage to trickle 1-2 milliliters.
According to Give Legacy, research indicates that men experience a decline in sperm count and quality after the age of 40, which can impact pregnancy rates. Studies have shown a decrease in normal sperm morphology of 0.2% to 0.9% per year of age, resulting in a 4% to 18% reduction in normal morphology over a 20-year period.
What does this reduced ejaculation indicate? That you struggle to produce an inadequate volume of semen whose sperm content is just a fraction of what younger, healthier men splash.
- Time is vital
Women are aware of their biological clock. Thus they take concrete steps to conceive early.
Though the same is not true about men. Most of them seem to assume that they are impervious to infertility even as they age.
Most men still believe in the now-debunked myth that you can still have healthy children in your 70s. But a study has revealed that as you age, so do your sperms.
A report published in 2004 in the America Journal of Gynecology states that the odds of fertilizing an egg reduce 11% with each year.
These are due to a myriad of factors. They range from structurally-frail sperms to abnormal morphology.
The older you grow, the more problematic your sperm bank gets. You become too old to keep churning sperms. Yet what you produce is also of poor quality.
What does this mean? It shows that you better start planning for fatherhood sooner rather than later.
- Erectile Dysfunction Creeps in
Yet as you age, your digestive system starts slagging down. Thus the digestive organs don’t extract all the toxins from the body.
The likely effect of this suboptimum process is a spike in blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Both have a direct impact on your fertility level. High cholesterol accelerates erectile dysfunction. When you are unable to complete a sex act, then you are unlikely to impregnate.
Insulin resistance is even worse. It prevents your body from converting nutrients into energy.
You are unable to produce adequate sperms. And even if you do, they are weak and deformed.
On the other hand, your immunity drops with age. And poor immunity exposes you to infections, which further prevents your body from concentrating on making testosterones.
Again, your body is unable to produce essential minerals and nutrients it requires to replace death and damaged cells and tissues. And if your genes are bad, age also onsets of different cancers.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, various studies have examined the prevalence of Erectile Dysfunction (ED). The Massachusetts Male Aging Study revealed a 52% prevalence of ED. The study also highlighted that the occurrence of ED increases with age, affecting around 40% of men at age 40 and nearly 70% of men at age 70. The prevalence of complete ED also rises from 5% at age 40 to 15% at age 70. Notably, age was found to be the most influential factor associated with ED.
- Increased chances of Special-conditions off-springs
Without a doubt, reproduction is just the regeneration of your DNA. But when the stem cells from the fetus are fraught with complications, then the child is likely to carry less-than-optimum birth conditions.
Aging sperms translates to these birth deformities. As you grow older, you are likely to bear children with increased genetic abnormalities.
To bring this into perspective, fertility experts assessed the average age of fathers of children with Down syndrome. In computing the 3,400 cases, these experts found that the average age of their fathers was over 35 years at the children’s birth.
In another study published in The Journal of Urology was even more shocking. It assesses the impact of older fathers on their children’s mental state.
The report assessed the severity of these symptoms on children whose fathers were between 45 to 49 years during delivery. It found the cases more extreme and the risk of developing schizophrenia higher.
Further, this statistical study confirmed that the fathers’ age contributed to half of the situation.
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- STIs still an issue
When you grow elderly, you may think that you are secure against sexually transmitted infections. Yet you are more vulnerable as you age.
Your immunity declines, exposing your challenges when you contract such STIs. Still, treatment after infections is long, and recovery is slow.
The most common STIs are chlamydia and gonorrhea. This causes infertility in men when not treated promptly.
Chlamydia is particularly virile. It doesn’t show any signs or symptoms. This means that you could have it but don’t know.
If you delay treatment, you may be infertile. This disease causes direct damage to the sperm, leading to decreased motility and increased morphology. It also causes the sperm cell membranes to disintegrate,
Hence you need to prevent such occurrences. The best way is routinely to test to establish your sex health.
Treatment is usually via azithromycin. Your spouse or sex partner should also enroll in this treatment to prevent the spread and re-infection.
- Declining sexual organs
With age comes anatomical complications. The sex organs are not spared from this decline.
As you age, there could be a blockade of the reproductive ducts. These blockages affect parts of the testicles and other areas. As such, you could experience difficulties ejaculating.
Besides, physical trauma could also cause infertility. Injuries to the testicles, prostate, and urethra can complicate sperm production and remission.
Each condition is different. But surgery is the most suitable intervention to open up these clogs.
Another problem you are likely to face as you hit your 40s is retrograde ejaculation. This condition is caused by diabetes and certain medications.
You appreciate that when you grow older, chronic diseases start manifesting. You may be taking medicines that are causing retrograde ejaculation.
In this disorder, the semen retracts back to the bladder during ejaculation, instead of flowing forward to the urethra.
Besides, some surgical interventions could create knots on the urethra, causing this condition.
In conclusion, we provided you with five facts you probably do not know about infertility and what people face when they hit 40. We hope you can learn more about infertility before time and make a better decision for yourselves.
SIMILAR QUESTION
What Are Some Random Facts About Infertility?
Introduction
Infertility is a medical condition defined as the inability of a couple to achieve pregnancy after an extended period of time. It affects both men and women, and can be caused by a variety of factors. It is estimated that approximately 10-15% of couples in the United States experience infertility. Although infertility can be an emotionally difficult experience, there are many random facts about infertility that may be surprising.
Fact 1: There is a wide range of causes for infertility
The causes of infertility are varied and can range from physical factors to psychological factors. For women, some of the most common causes of infertility are ovulation disorders, blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, endometriosis, and age-related factors. For men, common causes of infertility include low sperm count, low sperm motility, and abnormal sperm shape. Other causes of infertility include genetic factors, lifestyle factors, and medical conditions such as diabetes.
Fact 2: Infertility is more common than you might think
Infertility is a surprisingly common condition, and it affects both men and women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 6.1 million people in the United States are affected by infertility. Additionally, approximately 7.4 million women and 5.5 million men in the United States are affected by infertility.
Fact 3: Infertility affects different populations differently
Infertility affects different populations at different rates. For example, infertility is more common among Hispanic women than among non-Hispanic women. Additionally, infertility is more common among African-American women than among non-Hispanic white women. This is likely due to a variety of factors, including lifestyle, access to medical care, and environmental and socioeconomic factors.
Fact 4: Infertility treatments are improving
In recent years, advancements in medical technology have improved the success rates of infertility treatments. In vitro fertilization (IVF), for example, is a fertility treatment that involves extracting eggs from a woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a laboratory. According to the National Institutes of Health, IVF is currently the most successful infertility treatment, with up to a 40% chance of success.
Fact 5: Infertility can have a significant impact on mental health
Infertility can be a challenging experience, both physically and emotionally. It has been linked to a variety of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Additionally, infertility can put a strain on relationships, as couples may struggle to cope with the emotional and physical challenges that infertility can bring.
Conclusion
Infertility is a surprisingly common condition, and it affects both men and women. It has a wide range of causes, and can have a significant impact on mental health. Fortunately, advancements in medical technology have improved the success rates of infertility treatments, providing hope to couples who are struggling with infertility. Understanding the facts about infertility can help couples cope with this difficult experience.
