94-year-old father has nothing to be proud of, say doctors

Most people in the medical fraternity must have marvelled at the news of a 94-year-old man fathering a child. Doctors, however, are not too enthused by the news.

They say having a child at such an old age may lead to complications — not for the father, but for the baby. The child’s health and wellness is likely to go for a toss.

Ramajit Raghav, 94, a landless labourer from a small town Kharkhoda in Sonipat district, said that he had become a proud father of a son. His wife Shakuntala who bore him the child is claimed to be in her mid 50s.

An earlier case is of Nanu Ram Jogi of a Rajasthan village who had fathered his 22nd child at the age of 90, in 2007.

Dr Nandita Palshetkar, consultant gynaecologist at the Lilavati Hospital IVF Centre said, “More than the man, it is surprising that a 50-year-old woman had given birth to a child. The chance of a 50+ woman giving birth is three to five per cent. However, it is not advisable for people at this age to become parents. The child won’t get that much love and care from his parents.”

Agreeing with Palshetkar, Dr Rajan Bhosale, head of the department of sexual medicine, KEM hospital said, “It is impractical to become a father at 94. I personally feel it is nothing to be proud of. The child will hardly get time to spend with his parents, as the father being 94 won’t have much time left. The child will grow up without his parents’ love and care. Giving birth is not the only responsibility of a person.”

Mumbai, too, has been getting cases in which couples in their 50s and 60s have come forward with the wish to give birth to a child.

“In Mumbai, we keep getting men who have become fathers in their 70s and 50s. I discourage people in their mid 40s wanting to become fathers. By the time the child is a teenager, the parents will be equal to his grandparents’ age. Physically, it will be impossible for them to cope with their child’s needs,” added Bhosale.

Palshetkar said, “In Mumbai I have seen many couples in their 50s and 60s wanting to become parents. With adoption norms restricting the parents age to 45, many couples over 45 are going for IVF.”