Dr Bowman said couples should consider becoming parents earlier

Sperm damage rises from 35: study
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Older women are not alone in their fertility troubles, according to Australian research confirming the male biological clock is ticking too.
A new study has found a man's fertility starts a steady decline from his mid-30s when sperm starts to fragment.
Researchers at Sydney IVF analysed the DNA of semen samples taken from 3,300 men in NSW and Tasmania, and found older men had less chance of fathering a child.
The find, presented at a fertility conference in Brisbane this week, is the biggest in Australia to show infertility dogs both sexes as they age.
"Drops in fertility from the age of 35 have been traditionally thought of as a fact of life for women but our study shows the same is true of men," said the centre's medical director Dr Mark Bowman.
The study showed that from the age of 35, a significant proportion of men's sperm is damaged, a process called DNA fragmentation. And the percentage of damaged sperm climbs from about 17 per cent at 35 to 22 per cent at 45.
"What this means is that even if a man produces the average of 40 million sperm per ejaculation, many of those sperm will not be able to fertilise an egg normally," Dr Bowman said.
"He will have a lower fertility potential and be less likely to father a child."
One in six Australian couples experience infertility, defined as attempting to conceive for one year without success, and specialists say delaying parenthood into the late 30s and 40s is a leading factor.
About 40 per cent of couples seeking IVF treatment do so due to a male fertility problem.
Dr Bowman said couples should consider becoming parents earlier.
"Australian men need to take their fertility seriously," he said.
"They need to be aware of their potential to become fathers and not assume that they'll be OK as their age advances."
Studies have shown that lifestyle changes, particularly giving up smoking, limiting alcohol, eating well and taking antioxidants, can help slow changes in male fertility.
Professor Rob McLachlan, director of Andrology Australia in Melbourne, said the issue of male infertility was often overshadowed.
"In the past, women have tended to be front and centre when it comes to identifying and treating infertility," Prof McLachlan said.
"Gender equality in the delivery of fertility services should be the goal of all assisted reproductive technology programs, and we need a commitment to make it happen."AAP -->
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