Father’s Day: Best Age To Become A Father – Studies

Today is Father’s Day celebration and we wish every father out there, including every man, a happy Father’s Day celebration with this report about the best age to become a father.

Do you know that as women have limited number of years within which they can give birth, so do some men have the best age to father a child?

People usually think that the biological clock only counts for women. However, men too need to worry about the biological clock!

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So, just as a woman above 40 becomes concerned about menopause, so a man above 40 should become concerned about the best age to become a father.

Researches have proven that the number and quality of a man’s sperm declines with age.

From a biological standpoint, experts recommend a man is best suited to father a child from his late 20s to early 30s.

Although a man above 40, even up to 92, can still father a child.

In fact, the Guinness World Records holds the record of the oldest man to father a child to be 92 years old at the time of the birth.

However, researchers have found that a man’s age can affect a couple’s chances of becoming pregnant.

Consequently, men who are over 40 years of age have a lower likelihood of success.

Why men should be concerned:

Yeah, you are right to say that men typically never stop producing sperm.

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a ‘biological clock’ like women.

As a man ages, his sperm undergoes genetic mutations.

Mutations most times damage the DNA of a man’s sperm.

So, when mutations occur as a result of a man getting older, it increases the likelihood that the DNA of his sperm may be damaged.

A damaged sperm’s DNA can influence fertility and also create potential impacts on the health of his future children.

Causes for worry:

Studies have proven that an older man may likely give birth to children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

A 2010 study discovered that the children of men over 40 had a five-fold risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This is in comparism to the general population.

Also, even though a man never stops producing sperm, the quality of the sperm decreases as he gets older.

The World Health Organization has set semen parameters which are benchmarks for healthy sperm.

These include count, morphology (shape), and motility (movement).

Starting around the age of 35, men may see their semen parameters getting worse.

Sperm health can depend on various factors which influence chances of fertility.

A man’s semen is fertile if the quantity he discharges in a single ejaculation contains at least 15 million sperm per milliliter.

If its less than that, the man might have difficulty in making a women become pregnant.

Similarly, in terms of sperm motility, pregnancy is possible with less than 40% of the sperm in ejaculate moving, with 40% being the threshold since the more the better chances of fertility.

Men Who Become Fathers At Younger Ages May Die Younger Or Have Poor Health:

Although some people may advice that men become fathers at younger ages, some studies think otherwise.

For instance a research published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health thinks too early fatherhood is dangerous.

It found that becoming a father before the age of 25 could lead to serious health consequences.

It could also lead to the death of the man.

How?

The study found that men who became fathers earlier in life were more likely to have poor health and die younger.

This is against those who delayed fatherhood until they were 30 to 44.

Also, the great deal of stress and financial challenges that come with fatherhood can equally terminate a man.

Because some men are not fully prepared for fatherhood, they jump into it and when the challenges such as financial, comes in, some may even commit suicide.

Cases abound.

Also, many lifestyle issues can equally play a role in a man’s life.

With poor lifestyle, a man’s sperm can lose quality and prevent the man from impregnating a woman.

Example of such lifestyles are smoking, too much drinking of alcohol, poor dieting, obesity and drugs.

Smoking, according to studies, reduces a sperm’s motility rate which is its ability to move efficiently through a woman’s reproductive tract to reach and fertilise the egg.

Smoking also decreases a sperm’s quality and amount.

But how do you know if the quality of your sperm is low:

Well, as a man, you need to know the status of your sperm.

First thing first is to visit a doctor.

A urologist will examine you.

A physician will examine, knowing your medical history and lifetsyle habits.

The physician will physically examine your testicles, where the doctor will look for varicoceles.

Also, he will look for signs of abnormal formations of veins above the testicle.

Then, you will do a sperm and semen analysis.

This analysis will check your sperm count, their shape, movement, and other characteristics.

You may equally undergo a hormone evaluation to assess the level of testosterone and other hormones in the body.

Other tests include, genetic testing, anti-sperm antibodies, retrograde ejaculation, etc.

Implications:

What to do to produce optimum sperm:

As a man, if you want to have good quality sperm to father a child, you need these:

First, it is important that you eat healthy foods.

Also, lose weight if you are overweight. Hit the gym and do yourself good.

This will make it easier for you to impregnate your wife.

Stop smoking and excessive alcohol intake. If you do these, your sperm quality will improve.

Eat more diets rich in antioxidants.

Also, ensure you ice the balls. keep your groin cool as your testicles make the best sperm when they’re slightly cooler than the rest of your body.

Don’t sit for a long period of time.

Avoid wearing tight cloths.

Don’t put your laptop for long on your laps.

Avoid spending a lot of time in a hot environment.