The results of a recent sperm investigation come as no surprise to many experts. They warn that older generations may actually be more fertile than younger guys.
Environmental influences and increasingly unhealthy lifestyles, they say, may be triggering these plummeting sperm counts.
We've recently seen this theory in action, with two men becoming fathers in their 70s. The Sun told last month how Raymond Calvert, 79, was overjoyed at having son Jamie Rai with partner Charlotte, 25.
Meanwhile, pensioner Richard Roden, 72, announced in June that his wife Lisa, 26 - with whom he has 18-month-old twins Emily and Ruby - is pregnant again.
But these super-fertile old chaps may be a dying breed, warns sperm expert Dr Allan Pacey from the University of Sheffield.
He says: "We think sperm counts have declined in recent years. For some reason, today's men are not as fertile as their fathers. The main theory is that something in the environment - we don't know what - is affecting the development of the testicles in the womb.
"When men reach adulthood, their testicles perform less well and produce fewer sperm."
Bulging waistlines and unhealthy diets may also be contributing to lower sperm counts.
But older sperm is more likely to have genetic defects, he cautions, with babies born to older dads more likely to have health problems.
For more on this story follow the link: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/3082192/Older-generation-are-more-fertile.html#ixzz0vj77hkPc
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