How Strong Is Your Sperm?

If you’re over 35, you might not like the answer. But science could help the growing number of men who’ve postponed paternity.

- Dan Crane

WHEN IT COMES to fertility and fatherhood, men tend to think we’re invincible. After all, George Clooney’s produced twin babies in his mid-50s, hasn’t he? Like George, I put off marriage until later in life. I was nearly 40 when I first got hitched, and 42 when I unexpectedly found myself divorced. Three years later I remarried, and not long after the wedding, my 32-year-old wife and I were happily surprised to find out we were pregnant. I say “surprised” because at 45, I knew that fatherhood wasn’t a foregone conclusion for me.

Everyone has a biological clock, and a man’s sperm count and quality diminish with age, along with his libido. (Sorry, guys. The truth hurts.) Worse, many studies link older fatherhood with such complications as lower fertility, higher miscarriage risk, and an increased likelihood of autism and bipolar disorder in the offspring.