The new research shows that men, similar to how the female reproductive system throws in the towel at a certain age, also have an inexorable biological clock ticking away that limits the conception of healthy offspring.
The scientist team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School states that the chance of a healthy birth declines quickly as men age.
Studying 19,000 in-vitro fertilization cycles in 7,753 couples between 2000 and 2014, the European Study of Human Reproduction and Embryology claimed that "Declining sperm quality certainly plays some role, but our work shows that this is not the whole picture."
The lead researcher for the study added, "We found similar results among couples with no documented male infertility, so something else is happening."
The study divided participants into four age groups: under 30, 30-35, 35-40, and 40-42, according to Newser. Results of the research noted that younger men increased a woman's chances of a successful birth.
As reported by the Guardian, women under 30 had a 73-percent success rate with in-vitro fertilization, if the partner was between 30 and 35. The same category of women with donors between 40 and 42 saw the percentage drop to 46.
When the female participants were between 35 and 40 and the male donors were between 30 and 35, chances of a live birth were recorded at 54 percent. That figure rose to 70 percent when they were under 30.
The results of the study could help women "encourage their male partners to get a move on," according to an obstetrics professor interviewed for the report.
"This reminds us that it takes two to tango and it's not just down to the age of the woman," the unnamed professor suggested.
