Denmark introduces age limit for men in fertility treatment

Men seeking fertility treatment with their partners must be referred before turning 55 under new rules, DR reports.

Danish Regions will introduce a 55-year age limit at public fertility clinics from 1 January 2027. Treatment courses will end when a man turns 56. The age limit for women is 40.

The decision is based on a medical assessment, according to Danish Regions health committee chair Christoffer Buster Reinhardt.

Danish Regions points to research indicating that an older father is associated with an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and health challenges for the child. It also says that sperm quality declines with age, which can complicate fertility treatment or, in the most serious cases, contribute to it being unsuccessful.

The organisation also cites a higher risk that children of older parents will lose them before reaching adulthood. This may affect the child’s wellbeing and increase the risk of developing mental illness, it says.

Men already undergoing fertility treatment on 1 January 2027 will be exempt from the new rules.