Age is but a number, right?

Sure, but according to a recent Harvard study, there might be a reason to bag yourself a toyboy other than for arm candy (or true love).

You see, the sperm from younger men reportedly “invigorates” the eggs of older women and, for this reason, it is suggested older women find a toyboy if they want to start a family.

[So is that why Kate Beckinsale found herself a 21-year-old? Pffft, I doubt it.]

The study, which focused on almost 20 000 “cycles of fertility treatment”, found that women with younger partners fared far better than those with partners of the same age or older, reports The Telegraph:

For the study, the scientists analysed data on 7,753 couples seen at a Boston fertility clinic between 2000 and 2014 who were categorised into four age bands – under 30, 30 to 35, 35 to 40 and 40 to 42.

Men had an additional age band of 42 and over.

Although it is well-known that female fertility declines with age – hence the fertility clock starting to “tick” at the age of 27 – it’s not the same with men, who have been known to father children up to the age of 90.

The study was led by Harvard Medical School, and the results presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (Eshre) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Here’s what else it showed:

Women aged 35 to 40 had significant benefits from having a male partner below the age of 30, the study found. There was a 30 per cent relative improvement in cumulative incidence of live birth, compared with those paired with partners the same age.

The women with younger lovers had success rates of 70 per cent, compared to 54 per cent when partners were in the same age bracket.

Cumulative live birth rate refers to the chances of a live birth after one or more cycles of IVF treatment.

And women under 30 with male partners aged 40 to 42 were 46 per cent less likely to have a child than those with partners aged 30 to 35.

The effect lessened as women got older, and for those over 40 the age of the male partner made no difference to the chances of success.

While some of you may be looking for a toyboy to keep you young, the idea of increasing your fertility might be something to keep in the back of your mind when you’re on the prowl.

That’s if you even want to have children.

[source:telegraph]