Men have long been fathering children well into old age. Tony
Randall entered daddyhood at age 77. Charlie Chaplin became a
proud pop for the last time at age 73. Rod Stewart had his
seventh child at 60 — and may still be on a roll. But while it
seems that older men and fatherhood are no odd couple,
scientists have begun questioning the assumption that the
biological clock is only a concern for women. Unlike women, who
have a marked decline in fertility in their 30s, men’s
biological clocks appear to wind down gradually and
progressively over the course of their lives. One study, for
instance, found that sperm motility — their ability to be strong
swimmers capable of reaching and fertilizing an egg — decreased
by a steady 0.7 percent per year for men between the ages of 22
and 80. Sperm counts appear to decline with age, too. But even
men with reduced counts still may be able to father children
since it takes just one sperm. Sperm from older men also may be
more likely to contribute to health problems in chil