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MIAMI, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - The number of couples seeking fertility treatments in the US has increased 33 percent over the past five years. It’s a fact that fertility decreases sharply for women between the ages of 35 and 40. At age 30, there’s a one in five chance of getting pregnant per cycle. By age 40, it drops to one in 20. But fertility issues are not just a woman’s problem. In fact, the older the man is when fathering a child, the harder it is to conceive and to have a healthy baby.

Saul Alvarez never thought he’d live to see this day.

“I was told I was never gonna be able to have kids,” he said.

It was a long hard road to get here. Saul lost his first child, a little girl, and her mother in a drunk driving accident. Then Saul was diagnosed with cancer—twice. While still battling cancer, Saul fell in love, got married, and started thinking about having another child. But chemo was a problem.

“My sperm count went from being healthy to being completely at zero, that was a big shock for me,” said Saul.

Another issue was Saul’s age. He was in his mid-50s. Male Infertility Specialist Ranjith Ramasamy says that after age 40, a man’s sperm begins to mutate.

“The number of mutations in sperm continue to accumulate that are more genetic changes that you know the body doesn’t correct anymore,” explained Dr. Ramasamy.

The most common conditions associated with advanced paternal age are neuropsychiatric disorders. There is also an increased risk for leukemia and lymphomas. A 2021 study found that when a male in a couple was over forty, there were 20 to 40 percent more miscarriages. Doctor Ramasamy used medications used in women to boost egg counts to boost hormones in the pituitary glands and testosterone levels in Saul. After a year and a half of fertility treatments.

“This is our son, Alexander Rama Alvarez,” said Saul.

Alexander’s middle name is Rama in honor of the doctor who helped make Saul’s dream of becoming a father again a reality.

Saul is now in full remission from his cancer and is not ruling out the possibility of adding to his family. Doctor Ramasamy says it’s just as important for men as it is for women to think about fertility preservation in their 20s. Frozen sperm is good for up to 15 years after its initially frozen and the recovery rates for a sperm after being frozen is up to 95 percent.

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