The fertile period in men only ends around 60 years of age, when their testosterone levels decrease and sperm production decreases. But despite this, there are cases of men over 60 who manage to get a woman pregnant. This is because, although sperm production decreases, it does not completely stop until the end of the man’s life.
This means that men have a constant fertile period, from the beginning of puberty, unlike women. A woman, despite being prepared to get pregnant from her first menstruation, menarche, only becomes pregnant during a small fertile period each month. This period lasts approximately 6 days and only happens once a month, stopping when menopause begins.
Until what age is a man fertile?
Male fertility begins, on average, at 12 years of age, which is the age at which male sexual organs are mature and capable of producing sperm. Thus, if there is no change that interferes with the sperm production process, the man’s fertile period lasts until the so-called andropause, which corresponds to the menopause that occurs in women.
The symptoms of andropause usually appear between the ages of 50 and 60 and are characterized by a decrease in testosterone production, which directly interferes with the sperm production capacity. However, this can be controlled through testosterone hormone replacement, which should be done as directed by your doctor.
Despite the decrease in testosterone concentration over time, the production of viable sperm can still occur, therefore being fertile.
How to assess fertility
A man’s fertility can be checked through some laboratory tests that inform the sperm production capacity, as well as its characteristics. Thus, urology may request the following to be carried out:
- Spermogram, in which semen characteristics are evaluated, such as viscosity, pH, quantity of sperm per ml of semen, shape, motility and concentration of live sperm. Thus, the doctor can indicate whether the man is fertile or whether infertility is due to insufficient sperm production or production of barely viable sperm;
- Testosterone dosageas this hormone is responsible for stimulating sperm production, and is therefore directly related to a man’s reproductive capacity;
- Post coital testwhich checks the sperm’s ability to swim through the cervical mucus, which is the mucus responsible for the woman’s lubrication, and thus fertilize the egg.
In addition to these tests, the urologist may request an ultrasound of the testicles in order to check for any changes in this organ that could interfere with male fertility.
