Is Having Children at 60 a Good Idea?

[porums]

i only would like to know,
is it good for the father to have children at the age of 60 ?
the mother is around 50-55

 

[jim mcnamara]

There is no good/bad about it.

As mothers age, the risk for birth defects like Down's Syndrome increases. As parents age the probability of them dying or becoming incompetent or unable to raise children during the childhood period of the kid also goes up. Therefore, it is a decision people make, rather than a good/bad moral issue.

With proper medical advice, it can work out well for both parents and kids...

 

[Moonbear]

Risk for non-disjunction chromosomal disorders can increase with either parent's increasing age. It's pretty rare for a 50-55 y.o. woman to still be sufficiently fertile to have children, so that's usually the more limiting factor in such attempts. Other than that, it's more an individual choice (I'd strongly recommend genetic counseling for anyone intending to be a parent at that age so they fully understand the risks for birth defects and are making an informed choice).

 

[DaveC426913]

"23 per cent of those aged 38 years will not have conceived after three years of regular unprotected sex. "

http://www.babycenter.ca/preconception/activelytrying/ageandfertility/

 

[CRGreathouse]

Very few 50-55 year old women are able to bear children. Those who do are at a very high risk of chromosomal disorders in the child, and are more likely to die in childbirth.

A 60-year old man is still fertile, though jim's advice on the ability of the father (and mother) to raise children still applies.

 

[DaveC426913]

Now, having read all of this, I urge you, before speaking up (yes, I'm being presumptuous), to consider whether you are in a position to judge what these other people are capable of.

It is unlikely you'll change their minds if they're set on it, especially if they haven't asked for your advice. Probably the best thing you can do is be supportive.