Sexual Health Reproductive Health Issues How Male Fertility Declines With Age How to Improve Your Fertility as You Get Older By Jerry Kennard Jerry Kennard Jerry Kennard, PhD, is a psychologist and associate fellow of the British Psychological Society. Learn about our editorial process Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD on January 19, 2020 Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Anita Sadaty, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist at North Shore University Hospital and founder of Redefining Health Medical. Learn about our Medical Review Board on January 19, 2020 Print Most men know that women's fertility declines after the age of 35, but many men are not aware that their age can affect their ability to become a parent, too. While less is known about male fertility and age, there is evidence that the older a man becomes, the more his fertility diminishes. You can't change your age, but you can arm yourself with the knowledge to improve your chances of successfully having a family. Thomas Tolstrup / Digital Vision / Getty Images Aging and Male Fertility It is not impossible for older men to father children, in fact, many men remain fertile until they are 60. But conceiving does become more difficult and complicated as you age. How to Improve Your Fertility Luckily, while you may experience a decline in fertility the older you get, there are things you can do to improve fertility as you age. Eat healthfully and exercise: Obesity can contribute to infertility in men, and eating a healthy diet and being more active can reverse some fertility problems associated with obesity. In addition, losing weight can increase sperm count. Healthy diet and exercise can turn into a form of fertility therapy in itself.Consider lifestyle changes: Severe stress, alcohol, smoking and the use of hard drugs can all affect your sperm count. If any of these habits are part of your lifestyle, working toward changing them could increase your chances of remaining fertile as you age.See a specialist: Fertility specialists are not just beneficial for women. If you and your partner are having difficulty conceiving, a specialist can help you combat age-related fertility issues and go through some testing. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 1 Source Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Harris ID, Fronczak C, Roth L, Meacham RB. Fertility and the aging male. Rev Urol. 2011;13(4):e184–e190.