DID YOU KNOW?
As you age, so do your sperm. Men who are older than 35 have increased sperm DNA fragmentation, meaning that their sperm’s DNA is more damaged than those who are younger than 35. Having damaged sperm can reduce chances of conception. Also, there is increasing evidence that damaged sperm can cause birth defects and may contribute to small increased risks of developmental disorders like autism.
- The negative effects of age only increase with time. After the age of 50, the chances that your sperm may have abnormalities are higher. This may mean that you are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant or have an increased risk of having a child with birth defects.
- I can’t stop the clock.
- While you can’t prevent your sperm from aging, you can take steps to preserve your sperm. This is called sperm cryopreservation or sperm freezing.
- Sperm cryopreservation can be a good choice if you want to have kids at a later date.
- You can think of sperm banking as a back-up plan. Banking sperm will allow you to use assisted reproductive technologies (ART) when you try to get pregnant, but there is no guarantee of success.
- In addition to the fees for storing your sperm, the fertility treatments required to conceive with banked sperm come with additional costs.
