Men giving birth in their 90s

The world has recorded a number of fathers in their 90s or 100s, but doctors say giving birth at such an advanced age poses some risks to the fetus.

On May 10, Robert De Niro announced that he had become a father at the age of 79. The Oscar-winning actor has not revealed the real name, gender or identity of the child's mother. Although it came as a surprise to fans, Robert De Niro is not the oldest father on record.

The average age of fatherhood in the UK is 33, in the US it is 30. However, the world has recorded men having children in their 90s, even over 100.

James E. Smith, a novelist from Illinois, had a child at the age of 102 in 1951. His wife, Anna Smith, was 38 at the time. Smith said he was born in 1849, but some documents say he was born in 1864.

In 2012, Ramajit Raghav, a farmer near the Indian capital New Delhi, welcomed his second child at the age of 96, making him the oldest father in the world. Raghav had previously set the record in November 2010 when he welcomed his first child at the age of 94.

Another old man, Les Colley from Australia, who had his ninth child with his third wife at the age of 92, was also recognized by Guinness World Records as the "World's Oldest Father".

Colley said he met his wife in 1991 through a dating agency when he was 90. He lived a healthy, active life. Colley died in 1998 of pneumonia, just four months before his 100th birthday.

Les Colley with his two-month-old son Oswald. Photo: Les Colley

In 2017, Israeli media reported that Mahmoud al-Adam became a father at the age of 92. This was the 13th child for him and his wife. According to the Times of Israel , al-Adam, who is deaf, married Abeer after his first wife died.

Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone had his fourth child at the age of 89 in 2020. His eldest child, Deborah, 65, was born to his first wife, Ivy Bamford. He later had two more daughters, Tamara and Petra, with his second wife Slavica Radic.

According to experts, becoming a father at an advanced age poses some risks. Like a woman’s chance of conceiving, a man’s fertility also declines as he ages. Before the age of 40, a man’s sperm quality is higher.

On average, it takes a couple about five months to get pregnant successfully if the father is younger than 40. At older ages, it takes about two years.

After conceiving with an older man, the mother faces risks such as miscarriage, premature birth. The fetus is more likely to have birth defects and congenital diseases. The risk of mental health problems and autism is also higher.

Research published in the British Medical Journal on 40.5 million births in the US shows that older fathers can cause low birth weight, increase the risk of seizures, and make mothers more susceptible to gestational diabetes.

Mr. Ramajit Raghav and his wife and two children. Photo: India Today

Professor Suks Minhas, consultant urologist and andrologist at Lister Fertility Clinic, HCA Healthcare, said the biologically most suitable age for fatherhood is around 20 to 30. He said the older a man is, the higher the chance of sperm DNA being damaged, leading to genetic mutations and birth defects in children.

Lifestyle factors that can also harm sperm quality include unhealthy diet, smoking and vaping habits, alcohol consumption, drug use, and obesity.

"Smoking and vaping can reduce the quality and quantity of sperm and their ability to move through the reproductive tract to reach the egg. These habits can cause sperm to swim in circles instead of straight - a factor leading to male infertility," Professor Minhas explained.

Thuc Linh (According to Daily Mail )

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