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What Happens During Male Fertility?

Early Peaks

Both men and women reach the peak of their fertility in their 20s, which is a tad ironic, since that is the age when many members of both genders are still far from wanting to settle down with a single partner.  For men, though, the news is good in their 30s, as the fertility level for them remains at about the same clip as it was at their peak twenties.

In fact, men remain highly fertile into their 40s, which makes evolutionary sense. The idea is that men are biologically framed to be able to procreate over the span of several decades.

Sperm Quality

On the other hand, a new study shows that sperm counts have fallen drastically over the past five decades in industrialized countries. As man as one in five males between the ages of 18 and 25 can now be classified as sub-fertile.

Combined with the trend of women having babies at an older age, the drop in male fertility is a big reason why so many couples now have trouble conceiving. Even more alarming is the study's prediction that the downward fertility trend will continue into future generations, requiring country-wide action plans to mitigate the impact. The drop in male fertility also corresponds to higher incidence rates of testicular cancer and physiological abnormalities in the area of the groin.