Old father: New research on preterm births, autism, leukemia

Recently, an 86-year-old man came to the practice of New York reproductive physician Sinem Karipcin and announced that he wanted to become a father. He also knew how: The senior wanted to fertilize eggs donated with his sperm and have them carried out by surrogate mothers. The man said Charlie Chaplin had also become a father at the age of 73, Karipcin, who works at Columbia University, told the U.S. News & World Report.

It’s true: Many celebrities become late fathers, including actor George Clooney (56 years), Formula One driver Niki Lauda (60), actor Richard Gere (70). If all goes smoothly, the motor sports official Bernie Ecclestone (89) will be Papi in the summer.

Non-celebrities are also more likely to shift parenting to the back than they used to. In many European countries, the average age at which couples have children is now more than 30 years. Especially men who remarry after a divorced marriage often start-up-over-dads to start-up-over-dads, if they are already in their 40s or 50s. Some things are even simpler: the man is usually solid in his career, has more money and less stress.