The answer to whether a 60-year-old man can still produce sperm is a clear yes. Unlike the abrupt end of fertility women experience, a man’s reproductive capacity does not cease entirely with age. The process that generates sperm, known as spermatogenesis, begins at puberty and typically continues throughout the entire lifespan, often into a man’s 80s and 90s. While production persists, the quality and viability of the sperm change significantly, impacting the overall chance of conception and the health of potential offspring.
How Male Fertility Differs From Female Menopause
The fundamental difference between male and female reproductive aging lies in the supply of germ cells. Women are born with a finite number of oocytes, which are gradually depleted until menopause, typically around age 51, when the ovaries cease egg production. This represents a biological endpoint to female fertility.
Men do not experience this definitive end because their reproductive system relies on a self-renewing population of spermatogonial stem cells. These stem cells are located within the testes and continuously divide to replenish the stem cell pool and create new sperm. This constant renewal means the male body retains the capacity to generate millions of new sperm daily, making a complete cessation of production rare. Although a gradual decline in the rate of sperm production and testosterone levels occurs, the underlying mechanism remains active indefinitely.
Metrics of Decline: Sperm Count and Motility
While production continues, the physical quality of the ejaculate and the sperm it contains decreases progressively with age, particularly after a man reaches 40. Older men often experience a notable drop in semen volume, which in some studies is reduced by nearly 50% in men over 50 compared to younger men. This reduction is often accompanied by a decrease in total sperm output per ejaculate.
Sperm motility, the ability of sperm to swim effectively toward the egg, shows a consistent decline with age. Research indicates that progressive sperm motility can decline by around 0.8% per year. Consequently, men over 50 are substantially more likely to have clinically low motile sperm compared to younger men. Additionally, the proportion of sperm with normal morphology, or shape, also decreases, which can impair the ability to fertilize an egg.
Increased Genetic Risk in Older Paternal Age
Beyond physical quality, the continuous process of sperm production over decades introduces a qualitative genetic risk. Each time a spermatogonial stem cell divides to create new sperm, there is a chance for a spontaneous change in the DNA sequence, known as a de novo mutation. Since sperm production involves countless rounds of cell division over a man’s lifetime, the opportunity for these random mutations to accumulate increases with advanced paternal age.
This accumulation of new mutations in the sperm’s DNA is strongly associated with an increased risk for certain neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions in offspring. Studies correlate advanced paternal age with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Furthermore, the risk of DNA fragmentation in sperm, where the genetic material is damaged, roughly doubles between the ages of 30 and 45, which can lead to a higher rate of miscarriage.
Controllable Factors Affecting Sperm Health
Though age-related decline is inevitable, several external and lifestyle factors can significantly compound or mitigate changes in sperm health. Lifestyle choices influence the level of oxidative stress, a major contributor to sperm DNA damage. For instance, smoking negatively affects sperm count, motility, and morphology.
Excessive alcohol consumption and obesity can also harm semen quality by altering hormone levels, including testosterone. Chronic health conditions common with age, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, can independently impair sperm production and function. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a diet rich in antioxidants, and avoiding environmental toxins are actionable steps that support better sperm health.