Reproduction is expected to constrain survival and cause sex-differences in ageing. Sterilization inhibits reproduction, but predictions differ for how this should influence survival depending on sex, how sex-hormones are affected and species life-history. Using data from zoo housed mammals, I will show that sterilization is associated with a consistent increase in lifespan, an effect observable in both sexes and many mammalian orders including primates, carnivores, ungulates and bats. Further meta-analysis of published data show that increases in survival metrics with sterilization are observable in laboratory and wild environments in vertebrates, after male castration and a variety of different female contraceptive methods. However, these effects occur irrespective of sex-differences in lifespan, suggesting costs of reproduction do not explain sex-specific ageing. These results highlight that the drive to reproduce is a consistent force that constrains survival across vertebrates, altering biological ageing processes that limit lifespan regardless of the environment in which an animal resides.