I m 36 and my husband is 56 and we have been trying to get pregnant for a year now could it be because of his?

Answer 1

I have some infop below on the effect age has on fertility most older couples concieve naturally within 18monhts so im sure its nothing to worry about to much,but if it goes over this time frame you may wish o visit your gp.I hope you will find this helpful:
How your age can affect your fertility
Dads are getting older


More and more of us are leaving it until later to start a family, which means that the average age of fathers, as well as mothers, is increasing. While childbearing for women naturally comes to an end at the menopause, men can and do go on fathering children into their 50s, 60s and 70s. Unlike the age of the mother, the impact of the age of the father on fertility and the health of their children has not received as much publicity. However, it seems that there are just as many risks associated with men trying to start a family when they are older as for women, and not just for infertility.


Age and your fertility


For years it has been assumed that men remain at the same level of fertility from puberty until they die. However, it seems that men, as well as women, have a biological clock, of sorts, ticking away their years of being able to reproduce with ease. Although some men in their 70s can and do father children, an older man is more likely to take years rather than months to get their partner pregnant than a younger man.

As men age, their testes become smaller and softer and the quality of their sperm declines. Sperm change as a man becomes older in terms of volume, morphology (shape) and motility (ability to move) and deterioration in these qualities makes it more difficult for a sperm to fertilise an egg. These changes are not as sudden or noticeable as the female menopause but rather occur gradually over time. What's more, the quality of one man's sperm may deteriorate more slowly over time than another's. Some older men also develop illnesses or medical conditions, which can interfere with their libido or ability to get an erection, but again, not all men will experience such problems, as they get older, particularly if they have maintained their health and fitness.

However, a study published in 2000 found that, in couples who successfully go on to have a baby, the probability that the couple will take longer than a year to conceive is about eight per cent when the man is under 25 but almost doubles to 15 per cent when the man is over 35 years of age. What's more, the older a man is, the more likely he is to have a problem fathering a child. A woman whose partner is at least five years older than her has less chance of conceiving within a year than a woman whose partner is the same age as her, irrespective of the age of the woman. The authors suggest that the odds on conceiving within a year of trying decrease by three per cent, for every year that the man is over the age of 24.

This means that in addition to healthy diet and lifestyle, the age of the man is another factor to take into account if a couple is experiencing fertility problems.


Age on conception and your child's health



The effects of age on sperm are not just limited to a decline in volume, shape and motility, unfortunately there is growing evidence that older fathers run increased risks of fathering offspring with genetic abnormalities and other long term health problems. This is because older men have more sperm with mutations within the DNA in their semen. Both younger and older men develop damaged or unhealthy sperm but usually a process called apoptosis eliminates any defective sperm developing in the testis, so that mostly healthy sperm get through into the ejaculate. A study published in 2003 found that there was a significantly higher percentage of damaged sperm in the semen samples of men aged 36-57 years than in those of men aged 20-35 years, and that apoptosis did not occur as efficiently in the older men in their study.


Down's syndrome and other genetic abnormalities


The increased chance of a woman over 40 having a baby with Down's syndrome has been well documented, but now there is evidence that being an older father can also affect the chances of your baby having this or other genetic abnormalities. In 1995 French researchers discovered a link between Down's syndrome incidence and paternal age, with men over 40 having an increased likelihood of fathering a Down's syndrome baby. More recently, a large study carried out in New York discovered that, among mothers of 40 years of age and over, 50 per cent of the risk of Down's syndrome was attributable to the advanced age of the father.

There are some rare conditions related to damage to individual genes that are also age associated. These include: achondroplasia, which is a type of dwarfism, and Marfan syndrome, which is a condition with cardio vascular problems and abnormal length of the extremities, especially the fingers and toes. Although the incidence of these diseases is strongly related to paternal age, these diseases are very rare, and so the risk to an individual of their child having this disease is extremely low.


Long-term health problems


The long-term wellbeing of your offspring can be affected if you father a child when you are older. Some associations, such as the link between increased paternal age and a greater risk of childhood leukaemia, are strongly linked to the age of the mother, as well as other environmental factors. However, other researchers have managed to tease out many other factors to show that being an older dad is enough to increase the risk for a problem on its own.

There is increasing evidence that children born to older fathers are at a greater risk of developing schizophrenia when they grow up than those born to younger fathers. A large study in Sweden found that 15.5 per cent of the adults who had schizophrenia in the population they studied had a father aged over 30 when they were born. This association between age of the father and schizophrenia was particularly strong in families where there was no family history of the disease. This supports the idea that spontaneous mutations in the father's DNA are more likely to occur in his sperm as he ages.


What can you do?


Young couples planning on having children together may be best advised not to put off starting a family for too long; not just because of decreases in fertility with age but also to reduce the chances of having a child with a genetic abnormality or long-term health problem.

There is nothing any of us can do about getting older. However, there is plenty you can do to look after yourself, whatever age you are. Following a healthy diet and lifestyle can improve the quality of your own life, boost your fertility and if you do father a child, ensure that you give that baby the best start in life.

Answer 2

Well men can have baby's no matter how old they are as long as they are not sterile.. they will only have hard time if theyhave low sperm count. But women who is over 35 will also have problems getting pregnant because their chances on their monthly cycles decreases.. It will take probably 2-3 years of trying for their age.. However, if you think it's your husband, try time your ovulation or your most fertile days. If he has low sperm count. Try having sex every other day on your most fertile days. So he can recharge. But also go to the doctor and have some test done. It could be both of you. Best of luck to you both and baby dust to you.

Don't you just hate it... people who are trying to get pregnant have hard times and here we are living in country where we have so much teenage pregnancy and abortions... UNFAIR huh

Answer 3

His age, you mean? I wondered the same thing..I am 25 and my fiance is 48 and we are trying to conceive. From the research I have done, it may take you slightly longer to get pregnant because he may have more abnormal sperm and less motility. The risk of miscarriage is slightly higher as well because of a higher incidence of chromosomal abnormalities. However, it is likely you will get pregnant in time. There is no huge significant drop in male fertility until after about age 60. You may want to try giving him vitamin C and E supplements...it will help his sperm. Good luck!

Answer 4

You should start by not wanting to get pregnant, just have sex everyday or every other day and don't think about getting pregnant, just have fun with your partner. Get more useful information and guides to get pregnant herehttps://tr.im/Z4c0l
after sex-put a pillow under your butt or prop your feet up on the wall so your pelvis is tilted
eat healthy
back off caffiene
workout, even if its just a 20 minute walk a day, be active.

Answer 5

You didnt appear to finish the question but if the missing word was age then yes its possible but look at all those politicans having babies later on in life, also I heard that men have an even longer shelf life than women in the baby making department! Keep trying and goodluck!!

Answer 6

Charlie Chaplin fathered a baby when he was 76 so age isn't always a problem but it still could be in your husbands case, only way to know for sure is to be tested, go and see your GP.

Answer 7

I think the missing word is age? If so then age shouldn't play a part as men can reproduce until a ripe old age. I suggest you visit your doctor and get him to refer you both to a fertility clinic for tests. Good luck :)

Answer 8

his???? if you were going to say age, no not really, if it is likely to be an age thing, its more likely to be yours, as most healthy men never stop producing sperm, that is good enough to produce healthy babies, us ladies on the other hand start becoming less fertile with age(over 35) we start (or at least some of us) start to be less fertile. it could be a million and one things why you have not conceived yet, lifestyle, stress, any number of things.. the best thing to do is to get both of you checked out. good luck!!!

Answer 9

Men can have children as long as they live. But it is possible that he has a low sperm count. Have him checked. Does he have any other children? Wow that is a big age difference I would love to hear if this is something that you would recomend. Good luck.

Answer 10

Best idea is to go to the docs. It may be no-ones fault, just might take some more time. But if you see your doc for some reassurance it might happen more easily. The best of luck!

Answer 11

Your husband could very well be sterile and not be able to have anymore kids. Go to a doc and have his sperm tested to find out for sure.