# Fertility drops earlier than thought - men's too! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468 "2002-04-30T13:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/1 "2002-04-30T13:48:17Z")
New science news [Fertility drops earlier than thought - Women’s biological clock starts ticking in late 20s: study](http://www.msnbc.com/news/745301.asp) > [@](#): > > April 29 — Human fertility starts to decline earlier than previously believed, new research suggests, providing the most precise insight yet into when biological clocks start ticking loudly — at age 27 for women and 35 for men. > > Unitl now it was thought that women’s fertility starts to drop significantly in the early 30s, with a big plunge after 35. But the new study indicates that, on average, female fertility begins its meaningful slide at age 27. And while the decline in human fertility tied to aging had traditionally been attributed to the female factor, the study, published Tuesday in the journal Human Reproduction, showed that men’s fertility starts dwindling after 35. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/2 "2002-04-30T14:41:57Z")
Oh great. I get in this wonderful conversation with my SO this weekend about how great it is that I won’t be worried about stuff like that for a while, and you come in and refute it. (I just turned 28.) Thanks a lot! 😛 Just kidding. But that is one more thing for me to think about today. ---
**Author:** ![pbrtallboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@pbrtallboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbrtallboy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/3 "2002-04-30T14:53:27Z")
I, for one, am relieved. Does anyone else find the thought of little sKerris running around, well…scary? 😛 tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MONTY2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@MONTY2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MONTY2)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/4 "2002-04-30T15:40:46Z")
Just freaking wonderful. Now , not only do I actually have to really consider whether to willingly and knowingly become a single mom or just continue to wait and hope that I find “Mr. Wonderful” to start a family, but I have to start my deliberations soon knowing there is a definate time factor. :eek: I always said I’d have a baby when I turned 28, but now that 28 is right around the corner, I thought I’d wait a few more years. Now I have to worry about infertility too… damn. :rolleyes: I thought I had all the time in the world. ---
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/5 "2002-04-30T16:48:06Z")
Preach it. I am 30, and my SO (who has not even made the intent official, iffnyaknowwhatImean) wants 4 boys and 2 girls. Ha. I think not. I’m too old, we’re too poor… So, the question is, do I go ahead and show him the article, so I can say “I told you so!” or do I ignore it, lest he decide to speed things along before we’re both ready, and I wake up barefoot and pregnant tomorrow morning? :eek: (Well- I mean- I _always_ wake up barefoot, but I’m not a breakfast eater, so no bun in the oven so far.) ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/6 "2002-05-01T00:22:00Z")
What they’re not saying is who conducted the research and who funded it. I just read [Trust Us, We’re Experts](http://www.prwatch.org/books/experts.html) so I view all these releases now with a healthy dose of skepticism. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertility-drops-earlier-than-thought-mens-too/106468/7 "2002-05-01T15:42:07Z")
Well, one of my college roommates is probably flipping out right now. (When I knew her, she was determined to marry by twenty-five because she thought pregnancy after thirty was too high-risk. I don’t know whether it’s dawned on her yet that you cannot pre-schedule life events involving other people.) As far as I’m concerned, 35 is a nice, civilized age to _start_ thinking about children, and if it doesn’t happen the natural way I’d just as soon adopt anyway.