How does the age of the man affect the couple’s chances of a live birth?

Not nearly as much as the woman's age. Even if there are problems with the semen analysis for the man, with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), the couple should do well independent of the age of the man. There is a slight increase in the incidence of genetic abnormalities in the child (i.e. Down's syndrome) as the man ages over 45, but the increase risk with advancing age is not nearly as great for men as for women. New studies show a slight increase in autism when the man is over 40.