Strollerderby

The idea that women need to start figuring hypothetical babies into their lives at a much younger age than men do is officially an urban myth. According to a French study of more than 12,200 couples receiving fertility treatments, men’s biological clocks start ticking almost as audibly after age 35 as women’s.

This is not the first study to find that infertility is related to older men, but hopefully it will be the first to penetrate popular consciousness. “There’s a common misperception—even among healthcare providers—that infertility is a female problem,” Dr. Thomas Walsh of the UC San Francisco School of Medicine tells the L.A. Times.

Specifically, the comprehensive study found that at least 20 percent of infertility can be traced to males, and that men over age 35 are less fertile overall than their younger counterparts. And once they reach the big 4-0, men’s chances of fertility success become “significantly lower.” Wow, that sounds just like what I’ve been hearing about women’s fertility all these years.

Now, if only we could get nature to start respecting the desire for a fuller, longer life before children….

Photo: BBC 

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