The male biological clock

Although we're often told about new evidence that suggests perhaps there is a male biological clock after all, the evidence doesn't seem to back this up. We've all come across men who have fathered children in their fifties and even sixties - at an age when women will have stopped producing any eggs at all

The latest research on the subject presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Barcelona earlier this week is interesting, as it suggests that women who have partners who are over 40 don't just take longer to get pregnant, but that they are also more likely to miscarry. The researchers studies couples who were having intra-uterine insemination, or IUI, and found clear patterns emerging where the male partner was over 40. It's thought age-related DNA damage may be the cause of the problem. You can read more about the research at the ESHRE website