Age and fertility

Age and men’s fertility

Hearing about Al Pacino fathering a baby at the advanced age of 82 or Robert De Niro doing the same at the age of 79, may create the impression that age has no impact of men’s fertility.

However, studies have shown fertility rates do decline as a man ages, by as much as 30% for men older than 40 compared to men younger than 30 according one 2020 study. Age-related factors that could contribute to this decline include lower testosterone levels, less blood supply to the pelvis, shrinking or softening testicles and narrowing of the vas deferens, which can affect semen volume, sperm count, and sperm motility.

“However, unlike egg cells, which women are born with, sperm cells are made new and fresh every day,” explains Dr Pottow. “Because the sperm is made new every day, there are also many ways to improve sperm quality, such as lifestyle modifications and nutritional supplements specifically for improved fertility.”

Age and women’s fertility

The reality is quite different for women. Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and no new eggs are made. The eggs a woman is born with decline in both number and quality over time.

First, a woman’s fertility decreases gradually, and then much faster after age 35. This means that a woman’s prime fertility window is quite narrow, extending only to around age 35.

As Dr Matebese explains, from the age of 35 onwards, women not only produce fewer eggs than at a younger age, but these few eggs produced are also of lower quality.

Even so, many women well into their 40s get pregnant, and most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even 40 have healthy babies. But, statistically speaking, the older a woman when trying to conceive, the less likely she is to get pregnant and more likely to need fertility treatment.

In fact, the chances of falling pregnant naturally after the age of 40 is less than 15%. And most women over the age of 45 are unable get pregnant naturally. This is mainly due to the low quality of the eggs produced after the age of 45.

For this reason, our team at Cape Fertility strongly recommends that women who are planning to delay pregnancy past the age of 33 strongly consider another option, which is freezing their eggs while in their prime fertility window. In this way, they can ensure they have many good quality eggs available should they struggle to conceive after the age of 35.

Higher risk pregnancies after 40

In addition to negatively impacting a women’s ability to fall pregnant, a maternal age of 40+ involves higher risks for both mother and child, notes Dr Matebese.

For the mom, these include an increased risk of medical conditions related to pregnancy, mainly preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm labour. Due to the increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in babies conceived by older women, there is also an increased risk of miscarriage during pregnancy.

Advanced age also affects labour and delivery. The main risks are premature labour, preterm birth and increased complications. Chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure thyroid disease, or obesity can complicate a pregnancy and potentially increase the risk of miscarriage and pregnancy loss, including stillbirth.

Risks for the baby include an increased chance of chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s Syndrome, and risks abnormalities. associated with prematurity, the most significant being neurological.

From age 50, pregnancy becomes extremely high-risk to both mother and child.

Is it too late to get treated?

It is generally recommended that couples should see a fertility specialist after six months of unsuccessfully trying to conceive where the female partner is older 35.

However, if a couple is concerned about their fertility, they should visit a fertility specialist without delay, because in fertility matters time is of the essence after age 35.

A fertility specialist will perform extensive fertility testing to determine the exact cause or causes of the couple’s infertility. This is because – in around one third of cases – there is more than one cause, and it maybe either on the part of the male or female partner, or both. There are also many possible causes of infertility in men and women beyond their age, ranging from lifestyle choices to hormonal imbalances and genetic issues.

Can the impact of age on fertility be treated?

Depending on the reasons for a couple’s fertility challenges, a fertility specialist might prescribe treatments such as (among many others) ovulation induction, artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) using either the couples’ own eggs and sperm or ones from donors. Surgical procedures may be necessary to treat certain conditions.

Fertility treatments such as IVF are safe for healthy women over 40, but there is an age limit. The age limit is around 43 for IVF treatment using a woman’s own eggs, because after the age of 43, her chances of success are much lower – in fact, less than 5%. Due to the increase in pregnancy related risks, IVF treatment is not recommended after the age of 50, not even with donor eggs.

Don’t delay seeking medical assistance!

If you are concerned about your fertility or if you are struggling to conceive, we would like to invite you to speak to one of our fertility specialists at Cape Fertility without delay. It is as simple as contacting us by clicking here…

At Cape Fertility, we value each individual patient and we look forward to providing you with our signature individualised and personalised care.