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 the production of sperm decreases, it does not stop completely until the end of man's life.
This means that men have a constant fertile period, since the beginning of puberty, unlike women. The woman, despite being prepared to become pregnant from her first menstruation, menarche, only becomes pregnant during a small fertile period of each month. This period lasts approximately 6 days and only happens once a month, ceasing to occur when menopause begins.
Up to what age is man fertile?
Male fertility starts, on average, at age 12, which is the age when the 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.
Symptoms of andropause usually appear between the ages of 50 and 60 and are characterized by decreased testosterone production, which directly interferes with the ability to produce sperm. However, this can be controlled through testosterone hormone replacement, which should be done as directed by the doctor.
Despite the decrease in testosterone concentration over time, the production of viable sperm can still happen, and is therefore fertile.
How to assess fertility
The man's fertility can be verified through some laboratory tests that inform the sperm production capacity, as well as its characteristics. Thus, urology can request the performance of:
- Spermogram, in which semen characteristics are evaluated, such as viscosity, pH, amount of sperm per ml of semen, shape, motility and concentration of live sperm. Thus, the doctor can indicate if the man is fertile or if the infertility is due to insufficient production of sperm or production of unviable sperm; Testosterone dosage, as this hormone is responsible for stimulating the production of sperm, therefore being directly related to the reproductive capacity of man; Post-coitus test, which checks the ability of the sperm to swim through the cervical mucus, which is the mucus responsible for lubricating the woman, and thus fertilize the egg.
In addition to these tests, the urologist may request ultrasound of the testicles in order to check for any changes in this organ that may interfere with male fertility. Learn more about exams to check male fertility.
