fertility-education

Male age and fertility: what to ask at a Spanish clinic

A 2026 explainer from REI Dr Lora Shahine is a reminder that fertility intake should include both partners. How to raise andrology questions in Spain without turning a video into a protocol.

male fertility paternal age andrology IVF clinic questions semen analysis
Two people seen from behind in a calm clinic waiting room — male fertility at first visit

Male age and fertility: what to ask at a Spanish clinic

Intake forms still sometimes treat fertility as a woman’s calendar plus an optional semen cup. That habit is outdated, and it is a practical problem when you are choosing a clinic.

On 20 February 2026, US reproductive endocrinologist Dr Lora Shahine published Male Age and Fertility: The Risks No One Talks About (~20,500 views by 20 Oct 2026). She walks through professional-society summaries on time to pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and why paternal age belongs in counselling. We will not paste her evidence tables. The directory takeaway: if a Spanish centre never mentions the male partner except as a signature, keep asking.

Not medical advice. This page does not quantify risks, recommend freezing sperm, or interpret childhood-health headlines. Those discussions belong with a licensed clinician. For technique context, see our male-factor and ICSI overview—still not a prescription.

Lora Shahine, MD · 20 Feb 2026 · ~20,500 views. A US explainer on why paternal age belongs in counselling—not a Spanish protocol.

Key takeaways from the video

  • Fertility intake should hold two histories, not one calendar plus a signature.
  • If a Spanish centre never mentions the male partner except as paperwork, keep asking.
  • Ask who reads the semen analysis and who explains ICSI as a lab option — not as a sales add-on.
  • Paternal age belongs in counselling; a YouTube chapter cannot apply it to you.
  • Do not paste evidence tables from a US explainer into a Spanish file.
  • This page does not quantify risks or recommend freezing sperm.
  • Not medical advice: talk to a licensed clinician who knows both partners.
Two equal consultation chairs at a round table — both partners belong in the first visit

What the video is for

Shahine’s useful move is structural: fertility intake should hold two histories. Age, medications, prior surgeries, and time trying are not only one person’s form. Professional societies have published summaries on paternal age; a clinician can walk you through what applies to you. A YouTube chapter cannot.

The video is filmed in a US frame (insurance, typical work-up language). Spanish clinics operate under Spanish regulation, SEF reporting culture, and their own andrology set-up. Translate the question, not the worksheet.

Grain of salt

Viral videos attract lists: freeze now, never freeze, donor sperm, “autism headlines.” Those are not intake checklists. Do not paste a US slide into a Spanish consent form. Do not skip female-side tests because a comment said “it’s always the man.” Do not skip male-side tests because a brochure only photographed a pregnant woman.

Shahine’s own closer is the useful part: ask what testing exists for your situation, what options the clinic actually offers, and how you get follow-up questions answered. Write those three down. Leave the rest.

Frosted lab door and a wall clock — ask where semen analysis happens and how fast results return

What “both partners” looks like on a first visit

Reasonable consumer questions in Madrid, Barcelona, or Valencia:

  • Is semen analysis (and a plan if it is abnormal) booked as default, not as an afterthought?
  • If age is a concern on either side, who explains options—the same doctor, an andrologist, or a coordinator reading a script?
  • Can results be discussed with both people in the room, in a language they follow?
  • How does the clinic separate male-factor pathways (including when ICSI is or is not discussed) from a one-size stimulation story?
  • How long until results, and who calls whom?

You are shopping for a team that can hold two medical histories. You are not trying to recreate a Seattle YouTube chapter in a Spanish consent form.

Spain-specific logistics, still not a protocol

Large city clinics often have in-house andrology; smaller listings may send the sample elsewhere. That is neither good nor bad until you know turnaround time and whether someone will call you with the result. Check the place card on the Madrid map or Barcelona map, then confirm hours—male patients still need a room and a clock.

Single women and female couples using donor sperm have a different pathway; still ask how the clinic talks about sperm quality and donor screening, because “male factor” is not only about a partner in the waiting room.

Myths that “IVF is only a female issue” are old; we already knock that down in myths vs facts. This article is about who you meet at reception.

Open notebook with two pens — two medical histories, one consult

Checklist

  1. Semen analysis booked with the first work-up, or explained if not.
  2. Name of the person who discusses male-age or male-factor questions.
  3. Language the results meeting will happen in.
  4. On-site vs external lab, and turnaround.
  5. How donor-sperm pathways are explained if that is relevant.

Related: questions before you pick a clinic and male-factor and ICSI.

Source

Watch the sequence

Who is in the room, who reads the lab — not a protocol.
Not medical advice

Male factor is a clinic-choice question

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Both people in the first visit
If there are two of you
2
Who interprets the analysis
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How they talk about ICSI
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Written questions
If there are two of you
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Original explainer — who is in the room, who reads the semen analysis, who explains ICSI as a lab option.
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