Research shows having a baby is less likely with a sugar daddy

If you want a baby, a toyboy may be your best bet. Photo / Getty

A sugar daddy might not be the best choice of partner for a young woman wanting children, research suggests.

He may be able to provide a lavish lifestyle, but his ageing sperm will reduce the chances of a successful birth - even after IVF.

Scientists who studied live birth rates among couples undergoing fertility treatment found striking evidence of declining success for women partnered by older men.

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.

Lead researcher Dr Laura Dodge, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, US, said: "Our study found an independent effect of male age on the cumulative incidence of live birth.

"Generally, we saw no significant decline in cumulative live birth when women had a male partner the same age or younger.

"Where we see significant decreases in the cumulative incidence of live birth is among women with male partners in the older age bands.

"For women aged 30 to 35, having a partner who is older than they are is associated with approximately 11 per cent relative decreases in cumulative incidence of live birth - from 70 per cent to 64 per cent - when compared to having a male partner within their same age band."

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