According to the results of a 2014 study of 2.4 million children in Sweden, men who wait longer to start families are at increased risk of having children with psychiatric disorders. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry, compared men over 45 with a group of 20-24 year old men. It concluded that advancing paternal age was associated with increased risk of autism, psychosis, bipolar, and other disorders in their offspring.
These findings are backed by many other studies showing a marked decline in fertility for men over 40 years of age. This is why our clinic only accepts sperm donations from healthy men between the ages of 18 and 39. Plus, regardless of the woman’s age, the risk of miscarriage is higher if the man is older than 45.
Personal Storage Gives You Peace of Mind
Similar to how many women choose to store their eggs, men have the option of freezing their sperm for later use so they can start a family when the time is right is right for them. While there is no set age for when men should do this, research shows the earlier the better. That’s why more men are now using cryobanks for personal storage when they are in their late 20s or early 30s. Some men even choose to store sperm prior to getting a vasectomy to keep their options open.
This is especially true for men who know they would like to have a family someday but aren’t ready yet due to career concerns, going back to school, or because they aren’t currently in a serious relationship. Storing sperm while you’re young and healthy also allows you the option of still having kids in case you and your partner have a difficult time conceiving later in life.
Storing Semen is a Safe and Effective Long-term Solution
Cryobanks put healthy sperm samples into long-term storage at -196 degrees Celsius. At this extreme temperature, metabolic activity stops, and sperm goes into suspended animation, preventing it from degrading or aging. It’s also immune to attacks from microbes and bacteria in this state and can be kept frozen indefinitely. That means your sperm remains healthy and ready to use for as long as you need it. This gives you much more control over family planning.
In addition, frozen sperm poses no additional risks to women trying to conceive when compared to fresh sperm. And due to the rigorous genetic and infectious disease testing done at licensed sperm banks such as Sussex Sperm Bank, many health and safety concerns relating to conception are decreased.
