How old is too old?

[maleficent]

I heard this story as a teaser for Good Morning America, that the mom is going to be interviews.

56 year old mom gives birth to twins

56-year-old gives birth to twins
From Jonathan Schienberg
CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Just three days shy of her 57th birthday, Aleta St. James has given birth to twins.

The baby girl and boy were born at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital by cesarean section.

Francesca was born first, at 9:18 a.m., weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and Gian (pronounced John) followed at 9:19 a.m., weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces, the hospital said.

"The babies are in excellently good health," said Dr. Jonathan Scher, the physician who delivered the babies. "They are fabulous babies and were well enough to go directly to the well-newborn nursery." He also reported that St. James "is doing just fine."

"When I look into my children's eyes, I feel such love, gratitude and appreciation for having been given these miraculous gifts," St. James said after her birth.

Jane Miller, director of the North Hudson IVF, a fertility clinic in New Jersey, said that St. James, a motivational speaker and life coach, had been her patient for several years before she discussed undergoing in-vitro fertilization. "She's been my gynecological patient for a while. It wasn't like she just came to ask to become a record or be some statistic," Miller said.

"In general I would not recommend someone to get pregnant at this age," Miller added. "Pregnancy at this age can increase the chances of premature birth, which can cause neurological damage to the baby."

MayoClinic.com, a partner of CNN.com, lists these additional risks to pregnancy during a woman's 50s:

Increased miscarriage risks
Gestational diabetes
Pregnancy-induced hypertension
Greater chance of Caesarean delivery
Miller said she agreed to oversee St. James' pregnancy because she was in such good health.

"There was no medical reason that would prevent a successful-term pregnancy with her through the use of donated eggs," Miller said.

Miller noted that in the wake of publicity about St. James, more older women are contacting her about giving birth.

"This is a very risky situation," Miller said. "And when women of this age range call, I'm going to give them a dose of reality."

St. James was bit more optimistic about the possibility of other women following her lead. "At any age it's possible," she said. "It's only over when it's over. ... I don't want to have any regrets when I'm older."

The oldest American to give birth to twins was 57-year-old Judy Cates, on December 9, 1998. The oldest to give birth is believed to be a 63-year-old woman from Highland, California.

St. James is the sister of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa.

-----------------
So, how old is too old to give birth to a child? This woman will be 75 years old when her children graduate from high school. Is that fair to a child?

[doncalypso]

While I think it is miraculous that modern science can allow for older couples to successfully conceive and give birth to children I think that this couple was way to old because they will most likely not be alive by the time their children finish high school.

What's the point of having kids that late if you're more likely than not to be too senile to enjoy seeing them growing up?

[KellyC]

My uncle will be 70 when my cousin (also a first born) enters college. I never thought of this issue as being fair or unfair to neither both of them. It just never came to mind...until now...

[Nefir]

All health issues aside, I think 40 is about as late as I'm comfortable with, for my own theoretical kids. (and this applies to both mommies and daddies!)

I'm male, and the way I think about it, parents must be in a good enough state of health and mental capacity at the time their grandchildren are born, to be able to hand down valuable parenting knowledge and assist their children with raising their own. IMHO, it takes two generations to most efficiently raise a third.

Lets assume that the average age when a couple decides to seriously start a family is, say, 30 years old (accidents don't count). That means that this 56 year old mother would be 86 when that time comes. Will her kids be on their own, due to granny's death, weak health, or mental illness? The magic 8-ball says "All Signs Point to YES!"

A 40 year old mother would be 70. Thats already pushing it, but the odds are a bit more in her favor.

[OFKU0]

If someone is healthy enough at any age I don't see a problem.Is it fair to the kid? Life isn't fair in general so I wouldn't worry if it were fair or not. That's up to the kid to decide. I would think given the chance at life would erase questions of fairness.

And to the mother, more power to her for breaking out of lifes stereotypical boxes that we as a society are supposed to conform to. Afterall it's her body, her life and her business. Good for her. I would much rather see a 56 year old, financial set and full of lifes lessons have kids than a 12 year inner city kid who doesn't have a clue about life and is preparing to be a parent.

[lpj8]

I don't think there should be any set limit. However, older mothers babies are more likely to have some sort of birth defect, down syndrome, and a host of other issues.

Down syndrome is definately linked to maternal age:

Maternal Age Risk
20 Years 1 in 1,900 Births
25 1 in 1,200
30 1 in 900
33 1 in 600
36 1 in 280
39 1 in 130
42 1 in 65
45 1 in 30
48 1 in 15
Source: Halladay et al., 1995[RIGHT][INDENT]

[Blackthorn]

Think about this with respect to that story. In just 15 short years Mom will be 72 years old. The twins mother will be 72 years old before they can drive, before they go to the junior prom (unless invited by an upper yada yada). Before these two get their first jobs, Mom will be collecting Social Security. Putting aside all the health realted concerns of late child birth I think you owe it to your children to be there for them in sound mind and able body until they reach adulthood. It's hard to put a number on where the cutoff happens but to me age 57 is clearly beyond it.

Good health at any age is not guaranteed but as you cross that the magic 70 you can bet better than even money that life will start to catch up with you. I say that because in my own family I have huge dichotomy. I was snorkeling two weeks ago around Virgin Gorda island in the Carribean with an uncle who is 73 and an absolute picture of health but my own father who is just 70 is basically house ridden with too many medical issues to name.

I wish Ms. St. James and her twins well in this world....Kids are absolutely GREAT!

[ngdawg]

Originally Posted by doncalypso

While I think it is miraculous that modern science can allow for older couples to successfully conceive and give birth to children I think that this couple was way to old because they will most likely not be alive by the time their children finish high school.

What's the point of having kids that late if you're more likely than not to be too senile to enjoy seeing them growing up?

It's not even a couple. She's a single woman who decided to do this. Personally, as someone who DID have her children later in life(although 20 years difference in age at birthing time), I think this is ridiculous. Women like her, Joan Lunden(who in her 50's, had twins through a surrogate and supposedly is or will do it again) want to make this statement that you're never too old to have it all, if you're willing to pay for it. BULL! There's a reason for menopause!!!! With all the older children in this country alone begging to be part of a family, i think this whole 'no age barrier' to pregnancy needs to be looked at a lot more by the medical and social services communities.

[denim]

My attitude is that if it requires special help to get pregnant, you shouldn't.

[Darfster]

nearing 40 increases the risk of autism in your child, so I think if my girlfriend and I do the children thing we'll be doing it when we reach 30...

[Lasereth]

My dad is 47 or 48. My sister is 4. When she's 20, my dad will be almost 65. That's way too fucking old! I think above 40 is the call off limit.

-Lasereth

[Munku]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6469784/

MSNBC.com
59-year-old pregnant with twins
Multiple birth would break record set by 56-year-old mother

Updated: 5:30 p.m. ET Nov. 12, 2004


SYLVESTER, Ga. - A 59-year-old great-grandmother is pregnant with twins and will deliver next month, three decades after she had her tubes tied. “They came untied,” Frances Harris said Thursday.

The multiple birth Dec. 21 would break the purported record set this week by a 56-year-old New York City mother of twins.

Harris, of rural Sylvester, Ga., said she wasn’t trying to get pregnant — and didn’t realize she was — until she started gaining weight and went to see her doctor.

“A lot of things changed about me,” she said. “I started craving grapes and apples, things I don’t usually crave. By then I was four months pregnant.”

When the doctor broke the news, “They had to sit me down. I couldn’t even talk,” she said.

The news was even more shocking considering Harris — the mother of five, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of six — had her tubes tied 33 years ago after the birth of her youngest child.

Harris had her first child when she was 15; 44 years will separate her first-born from the newborns. She was divorced years ago from the twins’ father, 60-year-old Raymond Harris, a heavy equipment operator. She said they will remarry before the birth.

The oldest American believed to have given birth to twins is Aleta St. James, a single mother who turns 57 on Friday. She gave birth Tuesday by in-vitro fertilization at New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 263 children were born to women between ages 50 and 54 in 2002. The oldest American to give birth is Arceli Keh, of California, who was 63 when she had a daughter in 1996.

Harris said some family members, concerned about health complications, had suggested she end the pregnancy.

“I couldn’t live with myself,” she said. “I pray we all three pull through. When they’re so little, they’re so beautiful. I think they are God’s gift.”

[animosity]

So long as the mother is heathly there is no reason to believe that she is not capable of providing the child with the appropriate care. My mother is 44 and her husband is 52. They have a three year old child and are raising it a lot better than most parents of my generation.

The bottom line is that these women have the right to have children at any age, and that is all that matters.

[animosity]

Originally Posted by denim

My attitude is that if it requires special help to get pregnant, you shouldn't.

I agree. They should adopt.

[Cynthetiq]

I was just watching something on Discover or NGC that said that when they made animals wait the offspring also tended to wait also not because of being taught but because the trait of "waiting" was in their genes.

[Bill O'Rights]

I was 40 when my second child was born. For good or bad, I can tell you this much...it was a hell of a lot easier having to chase my daughter around, when I was 27, than it is to chase my son around at 42. Not that I can't...but, it was oh so much easier back then.

[astrahl]

This issue was never raised when Tony Randall or any of these other geezers impregnate a young female. These guys are too old to father, as in be a father, to these kids.
Blatant Double-standard!

[aliali]

Originally Posted by astrahl

This issue was never raised when Tony Randall or any of these other geezers impregnate a young female. These guys are too old to father, as in be a father, to these kids.
Blatant Double-standard!

It seems that motherhood presents more of a biological issue regarding health. If you don't want a double standard, what is the age for both men and women?

[maleficent]

Originally Posted by astrahl

This issue was never raised when Tony Randall or any of these other geezers impregnate a young female. These guys are too old to father, as in be a father, to these kids.
Blatant Double-standard!

I have as much of a problem with that as I do with a mom. The mother giving birth at that age, brings a lot of health concerns into play, you know the risks, it seems foolish to risk bringing a child into the world when the odds of downs syndrome or other birth defects are so great.

Health concerns aside, a person can die at any age, I've know 35 year olds who have died, but when parents decide to bring a child into the world, they have a responsibility to make sure they are there through out a good portion of the child's life. A male who fathers a child at age 60, 70 or later is just incredibly wrong.

[astrahl]

Having the double standard mentioned...I don't think people over 50 should breed. That perspective will change as life expectancy and fertility periods go up. Menopause just means that there aren't any more viable eggs...it doesn't mean the equipment doesnt work.