The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, and Fertility in Men [Hardcover]

Harry Fisch (Author), Stephen Braun (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Part fertility guide, part owner's manual to the male reproductive system, The Male Biological Clock attempts to ditch some of the numerous existing myths about men's roles in pregnancy while introducing up-to-date medical research on hormones and health. In modern culture, the words "male" and "biological clock" aren't typically seen together, but Dr. Harry Fisch has news: after the age of 35, men have increased rates of infertility, can contribute to the likelihood of a miscarriage, and are more likely to father a child with Down syndrome.

Blunt and informative, the book starts off with a basic introduction to male anatomy, and goes into greater detail on the subject of testosterone. A number of simple graphs and charts are included, as well as detailed weighing of pros and cons of a number of currently available medical treatments for a wide variety of issues. Erectile dysfunction gets a short chapter to itself, which is mainly a discussion of how to get the most out of prescription drugs--a later section on sexual health provides less dramatic suggestions, such as proper diet, moderate exercise, and avoiding anabolic steroid treatments. The rest of the guide focuses on correcting male infertility, as well as addressing (if briefly) the emotional side of sexual and fertility problems. In every chapter, a few patient stories highlight individual topics; these do a fine job of personalizing health problems and limiting the amount of straight medical jargon.

Fisch's gently positive spin somewhat masks the serious point he's making: men need to take care of their bodies, sooner rather than later. While this book focuses more on solving existing problems than on preventing the problem in the first place, its balance of general information and specific suggestions makes it an excellent reference for men of all ages. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Infertility is big business in America, and in 40 percent of infertile couples, the problem lies with the man. Yet, women are usually the focus for treatment. And, at the same time, male sexual dysfunction makes drug companies rich. What’s going on? In this compelling volume, Fisch, the director of the Male Reproductive Center at Columbia University, takes on these unsettling contradictions and presents new research that upends the conventional wisdom about infertility and male sexuality. He questions standard procedures such as in vitro fertilization, claiming there is "an epidemic of male infertility that is going largely unnoticed. Most couples never realize the true dimension of their problem and the often simple steps they could take to remedy the male side of the equation." The in vitro procedure, which is publicized by the media and promoted by clinics, is expensive, often unsuccessful, difficult for women and ignores the man’s possible problems. Fisch focuses instead on studying and correcting men’s fertility issues. A researcher and surgeon, Fisch reveals that new studies show that men, like women, have a biological clock. Men over 35 have half the chance of fathering a child that men under 30 have. Beyond aging, many things factor into male infertility and sexual dysfunction: decreasing testosterone levels, alcoholism, abdominal fat, diabetes, urinary and prostate infections, injury, undiagnosed defects and more. Yet, too frequently, doctors do not examine their male patients thoroughly enough to pinpoint infertility and other sexual health problems, many of which can be fixed easily. An excellent resource for couples struggling to have children, Fisch’s volume speaks directly and honestly to men who want to slow down their biological clock.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743259912
• ISBN-13: 978-0743259910
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,108,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly professional and up to date, July 18, 2005

By 

Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, and Fertility in Men (Hardcover)

It should be noted that this is more narrowly focused than the title would suggest. Dr. Fisch's book is not so much about "the male biological clock" as it is about the male biological clock as it relates to male sexual performance and fertility. As such it is an excellent book for those men who are concerned about being able to father children and to perform well sexually. And it is not just for the older male. There is a lot of useful information for younger males as well who are having problems with conception and performance.

This is also a good book for the female partner because it emphasizes that infertility is often a male problem and not a female problem as is usually thought to be the case. In fact, Dr. Fisch believes that 40% of infertility problems are on the female side, 40% on the male side, with the remaining 20% of undetermined or shared origin. If you're a woman and suspect that the fault might be his, you might buy him this book.

Dr. Fisch uses the phrase "male biological clock" to emphasize that even though men do not go through a menopause as such as do women, their sexual biological clock does indeed gradually run down. However, as Frisch phrases it, "Not all men are created equally biologically." (p. 18) Instead, some are as sexually capable as a thirty-year-old at eighty, when others are like seventy-year-olds when they are in their thirties. Fisch gives reasons and explanations for this, and presents some things you can do about it.

His discussion centers around four "key physical factors." They are "semen," "sperm," "testosterone," and "erections." There are chapters devoted to these factors as well as ones on sexual health in general and a final chapter on "Working as a Team," which is about sexual partners helping one another to overcome dysfunction. Fisch's treatment is precise, focused, a bit clinical (but that is good), and authoritative. There are a number of helpful charts and biologically correct drawings to illuminate the text--which somehow reminds me of a book I found in a neighbor's bookcase many years ago when I was an impressionable teenager. It was called, "What You Can Do about Sex after Sixty." All the pages were blank.

How the times have changed. If that book were to be "written" today, the "Sixty" in the title would have to be changed to, say, "Eighty."

An important part of this book is devoted to how couples might go about solving their infertility problems. Dr. Fisch describes various procedures, evaluates them and reveals how much they cost. There's even a chart on page 89 showing how much it costs to have a baby using four different types of treatment. He also explains who might benefit from testosterone treatment and who might not. He describes how Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis work and if they're "right for you" while weighing the efficacy of other methods to achieve the same thing.

There are some surprises. A side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g., Prozac) is that while their antidepressant qualities might take "weeks to kick in, their orgasm-delaying effects happen within about four hours." (p. 83) This is good for young men with premature ejaculation problems, but not so good for older guys because SSRIs "can interfere with both erectile function and the ability to achieve orgasm." (p. 75)

Another interesting fact is that being overweight can cause testosterone levels to drop. Dr. Fisch explains that "Excess body fat does this because testosterone is normally broken down in the body's fat cells; hence, if you have a lot of fat, your body breaks down testosterone extra-quickly, leading to a deficiency." He adds that "abdominal or 'belly' fat [the old spare tire] has a greater capacity to break down testosterone than other types of fat." (p. 47)

Bottom line: a thoroughly professional, carefully written, closely edited, and easy-to-read introduction to a subject of interest to men (especially middle-aged men) with sexual and fertility problems. Reading this book first before going to the doctor might save you a lot of time and money, and at the very least can help you to ask the right questions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book on both male fertility and sexual performance., January 30, 2006

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, and Fertility in Men (Hardcover)

This is a book that men (and women) of all ages would benefit from reading. Dr. Fisch is not only informative but he is gifted in his writing style. He takes medicine and make it understandable for anyone. Often books written by doctors are too academic and thick with medical terms for the average reader; this book is not. It is short, to the point and engaging.

The `Male Biological Clock' center on fertility and sexual performance. The chapters on the `Truth about Testosterone' and `Viagra' (Levitra & Cialis also) are worth the price of the book. Infertility is not just a woman's problem and Dr. Fisch lays out most all of the options available for men.

Dr. Fisch ends the book by covering diet and exercise and communication with your significant other. This is a great, short, extraordinarily important book for those struggling with their male sexuality. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic Info for Young Wanna Be Fathers, January 9, 2007

By 

Rico Antoni - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, and Fertility in Men (Hardcover)

A good basic starter on male sexual potency. This book is really written for the the wanna be fathers or maothers who may be having problem having a baby and want to know the man's role in that problem. However, it is basic information that most people who have been keeping up with new information on male sexual performance or andropause have read in books like "The Testosteron Syndrome," "Super T," or Maximize Your Vitality and Potency - For Men Over 40." If you are looking for information on male sexuality in an aging man - this book is not for you.