Monday, November 2, 2015

Age And Fertility For Men

Having children is touchy yet exhilarated topic to ponder. Are you ready? Is this person the right partner to do it? Are you old enough? Are you too old? And what about her? Everyone has their reasons to be concerned, be it age, or past medical procedures, such as vasectomy reversal or other surgeries. Here is a bit of background for anyone considering having a child.

Every couple is different, and that pertains to interests, race, gender, and of course, age. Some couples fall in love and want to have kids, but are concerned about how their ages will affect their children. Many
believe that women have an expiration date for having children and that men are equally fertile throughout their lives. But these assumptions are not 100% true.

Okay, we’ve all seen countless examples of older men having sons and daughters, whether it’s a relative or a celebrity. Your uncle having a daughter at 55. Paul McCartney had a child at the ripe old age of 61. Bruce Willis had a kid with his wife at 56 and another just last year at 59. The list goes on, but the point is that yes, men are typically capable of having children far into the later years of their lives.

However, that’s not to say there is never anything that stands in the way of a man having children. Indeed, men too have a biological clock, so if you’re considering trying with your significant other, you should keep this stuff in mind, especially if your girlfriend/wife is much younger than you.

As men and women get older, their testosterone and estrogen decrease respectively. This not only can have lasting effects on a man’s fertility, but, also, if one does conceive, there is a higher risk that the child is born with birth defects. For women over 40, the largest concern is that their child will have a chromosomal issue, such as Down syndrome.

For men, the amount of sperm drops heavily, and the semen that remains is of a lower quality in the later years. As a result, sperm has a harder time reaching the egg in order for it to fertilize.

It’s also more difficult for men to have children if they once had a vasectomy and have since had it reversed. A vasectomy is an outpatient surgical procedure in which the doctor cuts the vas deferens, which transfers sperm from the testicle to the urethra. A vasectomy reversal is when the vas deferens is reconnected, effectively making the man fertile again. The whole procedure takes a matter of hours and is very safe, especially considering that NY has some of the best vasectomy reversal doctors around. The only problem is that the more a man waits, the less likely it is for the man to still be able to conceive.

So if you’re getting into those later years but think you’re ready to have a(nother) child, don’t get discouraged. Maybe you’ve changed your mind due to recent circumstances and are looking for a vasectomy reversal doctor in NY. Or maybe you already had one and now are worried you’ve waited too long. Or maybe you’ve been trying to for a long time without any luck. Don’t worry, all of this is normal. Speak to your doctor and get a professional opinion so that you can have a realistic and well informed idea of how your chances look.


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