Women are very aware of their ticking biological clock but are men aware of their decreasing fertility too? Fertilization rates are usually over 60% for men under the age of 39 but for those over that age, the rates fall to slightly over half.

Men do not have the same pressure as women when it comes to finding a mate before time runs out but age affects male fertility too. It is not a significant drop off but the sperm quality can decrease as the man gets older. A 50-year-old man has about a 30% less chance of successful conception on average compared to when he was in his twenties.

Sperm quality all depends on the motility (the ability of the sperm to reach the egg) and morphology (shape of the sperm). There is however a very large overlap in these values between proven fertile and infertile men, therefore the routine semen analysis is not a reliable indicator or fertility potential.

Hormonal fluctuations, fatigue, depression, erectile dysfunction and other symptoms that go along with getting older also play a part in the conception game. As a man ages there is also a greater chance sperm could genetically mutate causing disorders like schizophrenia.

There are other factors that will decrease the amount and quality of sperm. Everyone knows smoking is bad for you and will decrease sperm count but did you know there are things that can affect the little swimmers?

 

 

Other factors can include:

• drugs
• hot tubs
• emotional stress
• obesity
• exposure to heavy metals
• bicycling

So beware of your partner's "tighty-whities", cigarettes and bicycle seats when you are trying to conceive.

 

Let's play a game! Which of these images below do you think will help repopulate the planet and which will hurt your chances of conceiving a child?

 

 

1. Laptops - It is called a laptop, but when used on your lap it raises the man's scrotal temperature even if just for an hour. The heat reduces sperm count.

 

2. Spicy/greasy foods - These cause indigestion. Indigestion produces toxins in the body called ama. Ama can block men's semen and decrease sperm count.

 

3. Oysters - Oysters are actually good for you because they have lots of zinc! The zinc are very good for keeping a healthy sperm count.

 

4. Bicycle seats - The pressure on the man's scrotum interferes with the blood vessels that help maintain erections.

 

5. Hot tubs - Like laptops, excessive heat can decrease a man's sperm count.

 

6. Vitamin C - This is a no-brainer! Of course vitamin C is good for you regardless of if you are trying to get pregnant. Taking 1,000 milligrams of this stuff everyday doesn't neccessarily increase sperm count but it greatly increases sperm motility and helps protect existing sperm.

Women who choose to have children later in life, have a higher earning potential. According to Elizabeth Gregory, author of Ready: Why Women Are Embracing the New Later Motherhood, women who choose to establish their careers first make higher salaries on average. Not only are there financial benefits but life experience also helps since many women will have had practice managing people in their own careers that when it comes time to manage a household, it is natural.

 

 

A Canadian woman living in New York with her husband finds the humour in the pressure to have children.