Biologically infallible? Men’s views on male age‐related fertility decline and sperm freezing

Abstract

Trends in people having children later in life and increasing evidence of male age‐related fertility decline (ARFD) has led some to propose sperm freezing as a suitable response. However, little consideration has been given to how men might respond to such a proposal, and there has been a paucity of empirical data to inform such a consideration. This paper arises from in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with men (n = 25) who do not have children but want or expect to have them in the future. Data on men’s perceptions of male ARFD and sperm freezing are presented and discussed in accordance with theoretical and conceptual tools relating to reproductive masculinity, biomedicalisation, gendered risk perception and meanings of sperm and masculinity. It suggests that that men’s overall lack of concern regarding male ARFD and resistance towards ideas of sperm freezing result not only from a lack of exposure to evidence regarding male ARFD but are also shaped by ideals of reproductive masculinity, and may indicate resistance towards the idea of reproductive control. It argues that these positions perpetuate a gender unequal politicisation of ARFD and perpetuate particular gendered subjectivities relating to culpability and responsibility for guarding against risks of ARFD.

And When I Die: Theory of Planned Behavior as Applied to Sperm Cryopreservation

“…This conclusion is not as obvious or intuitive as it seems. Studies regarding men’s views on reproductive masculinity [ 133 ] discussed the concept that men are less vulnerable to reproductive harm than women and consider themselves less responsible than women are for health problems in their offspring [ 133 ], In addition, even when men accept the existence of age-related fertility decline, they do not see it as related to their own personal lives [ 134 ]. An interesting finding from the CA analysis regarding risk is that respondents with a higher income had a lower marginal valuation of risk of infertility.…”

The ART clock: Temporal limits to assisted reproduction

“…Gestational surrogacy in the USA is embedded in a robust ART market that has grown, even as understandings of age-related fertility, the challenges of fertility treatment, its cost and limited accessibility, and specific ART procedures are not well understood by the general public ( Daniluk et al, 2012 , Jensen et al, 2018 , Kudesia et al, 2017 , Law, 2020 ). Author comparisons of data published by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their annual national summary reports ( CDC, 2019 ) point to increased utilization of ART despite <35% of all intended ART retrievals currently ending in a live birth.…”