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Age-defying journey challenges what parenthood can look like

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Age-defying journey challenges what parenthood can look like

  • By Gian T
1760418118568.png Age-defying journey challenges what parenthood can look like
A Melbourne doctor who welcomed his first child at 93 may have just broken a world record that's stood for nearly three decades. Credit: SolStocks / iStock

A Melbourne doctor who welcomed his first child at 93 may have just broken a world record that's stood for nearly three decades. But Dr John Levin isn't stopping there—he's planning for baby number two.



The current Guinness World Record for oldest legal father belongs to Australian Les Colley, who had his ninth child at 92 years 10 months in 1992.



The Hampton East GP and his wife Dr Yangying Lu, 37, welcomed son Gabby, creating one of Australia's most remarkable age-gap families.



With a 56-year difference between the parents, their story challenges everything we think we know about modern parenthood.



Love knows no boundaries



Dr Levin's journey to late-life fatherhood began with heartbreak and transformation. While the average age of Australian fathers has risen to 33.1 years, Dr Levin was already in his 80s when he decided to learn Mandarin following his first wife Veronica's death after 57 years of marriage.









His Chinese language teacher, Dr Lu, became much more than an instructor. Their whirlwind romance led to a Las Vegas wedding in 2014, and a decade later, they've created a family that defies conventional expectations.



'People think at first that he is Johnny's grandson, or sometimes great-grandson,' Dr Lu explains about public reactions to baby Gabby.



'When we explain they can't contain their surprise. But for us, it's about the choices that make us happy.'










'Of course being there for his 21st is a goal'

Dr John Levin, world's potentially oldest new father



The science of senior fatherhood



What makes Dr Levin's story even more extraordinary is the biological reality he's overcome.



Male fertility begins to decline significantly around age 40, and it can take a man five times longer to conceive at 45 than in their 20s.



Research shows that only 42 percent of men over age 51 meet the World Health Organisation's standard for semen quality, compared to 61 percent of men under age 51.



The statistics become even more challenging with advanced age.



Monash University research found that male fertility drops by 4.1 per cent per year in IVF treatments, regardless of the female partner's age.



This groundbreaking study dispelled the myth that older men with younger partners automatically have better fertility outcomes.









Dr Fabrizio Horta from Monash University explains the biological mechanism: 'The hypothesis is that as men get older their sperm becomes susceptible to DNA damage' caused by oxidative damage from free radicals.



Against all odds—IVF success in the 90s



The couple's fertility journey involved IVF treatment, where success rates typically plummet with advanced paternal age.



Research shows that while nearly half of men under 35 successfully fertilise eggs through IVF, this drops to 42 per cent for ages 36-40, 35 per cent for ages 41-45, 32 per cent for ages 46-50, and just 30 per cent for men over 51.



At 93, Dr Levin was attempting IVF in virtually uncharted territory, making their first-try success even more remarkable.









'I was very lucky. We achieved a pregnancy on the first try,' Dr Lu recalls. 'It can be so difficult for many women. One of my mothers' group took 14 cycles to produce her daughter.'




Australian father age statistics


The median age of Australian fathers is 33.8 years (2023), making Dr Levin nearly 60 years older than the typical new dad.


Victoria, where the family lives, has some of Australia's oldest fathers with a median age of 33.7 years.




The secret to staying strong



Dr Levin's extraordinary fertility success may be linked to his decades-long commitment to anti-aging practices.



For 30 years, he's injected human growth hormone and maintained a strict lifestyle including regular gym sessions and intermittent fasting—eating no meals before noon, mostly vegetarian fare.



He doesn't drink alcohol or smoke, factors that research shows significantly impact male fertility alongside aging.



His professional expertise as a healthy aging specialist has clearly informed his personal approach to longevity.









Advanced paternal age typically increases risks for premature birth, lower APGAR scores, and babies may have 'less semen volume and sperm with less motility'.



However, Dr Levin's lifestyle choices may have helped mitigate some of these age-related fertility challenges.



Planning for baby number two



Despite the biological obstacles, the couple are already considering expanding their family. 'We're thinking of another one, we'd like to have a little girl,' Dr Levin told radio station Nova 100.



However, Dr Lu sounds more cautious: 'We're still talking!' The practical considerations are significant—if successful, a second child would make Dr Levin potentially the oldest father of two children in recorded history.










What makes this story remarkable



  • Dr Levin appears to be the world's oldest new father at 93

  • Previous record holder was 92 years 10 months

  • Only 30 per cent of men over 51 achieve IVF pregnancy success

  • Success achieved on first IVF attempt

  • Planning for a second child




Facing the future together



Dr Lu has realistically considered the challenges ahead. 'I am prepared to parent on my own in the future,' she acknowledges, while converting to Judaism in preparation for their son's bar mitzvah—an event Dr Levin is determined to attend.



The couple benefits from extensive family support, including Dr Levin's three surviving children from his first marriage: Ashley, 62, and Samantha, 60, plus 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Tragically, his eldest son Greg died at 65 from motor neurone disease.



'With modern families these days you see different types of families and they make it work,' Dr Lu reflects. 'If other people can make it work, so can I.'









Looking ahead



Dr Levin's determination to be present for major milestones reflects both optimism and realism. 'Of course being there for his 21st is a goal,' he says, which would make him 114 years old. More immediately, he's focused on Gabby's bar mitzvah at 13, where he plans to read the Torah alongside his son.



Their story challenges societal expectations about aging, parenting, and family formation. While advanced maternal age is widely discussed in fertility conversations, Dr Levin's case highlights how paternal age deserves equal attention in family planning discussions.



Whether or not they proceed with a second child, this Melbourne family has already made medical history.



Dr Lu dismisses any suggestion their relationship was motivated by money, noting Dr Levin was 'bankrupt' when they met—theirs was purely a love match that happened to defy biological odds.



As baby Gabby grows up in this unique family constellation, he'll have the unusual distinction of potentially being the child of the world's oldest new father—and possibly, if his parents' plans come to fruition, gaining a sibling who would cement their father's place in the record books forever.



Have you encountered families with significant age gaps? What do you think about the challenges and joys of late-life parenting? Share your thoughts below—we'd love to hear from you.



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Hmmm.
Must have kept a bunch of swimmers frozen in a dish when he was younger.
I am sure he would be happy and ready to live every day as if it is his last.
 
Yes.... I'd be looking at DNA analysis
 
I pity the baby - likely to be fatherless by the time he's aware of what a father is and does. Growing up as a media freak, being sired by such an old man.
 
If this is true, then I feel sorry for the child. Who wants to go to school & say "he's my father" of a man in his 90s? The child will also fail to have a male role model in his life as his father will be dead long before the child reaches maturity.

I also wonder about the woman here. Who in their 30s wants to have a baby with a man in his 90s? Definitely need a DNA test on this baby & any other children they have.
 
I had just finished reading an article on this as I saw clips about it on the news.
They are showing it tonight.

All I can say is Stupid and selfish and what about his wife who is over 50 years younger.

Technically though he isn't the father. All the articles I read apart from the one on here stated that they used a sperm donor..
The couple turned to IVF and donor sperm to fulfil their dream of having a child together.

I wouldn't think he would be able to get it up ,even with Viagra little low make a baby
 
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I had just finished reading an article on this as I saw clips about it on the news.
They are showing it tonight.

All I can say is Stupid and selfish and what about his wife who is over 50 years younger.

Technically though he isn't the father. All the articles I read apart from the one on here stated that they used a sperm donor..
The couple turned to IVF and donor sperm to fulfil their dream of having a child together.

I wouldn't think he would be able to get it up ,even with Viagra little line make a baby
I would suggest that the only way he could get it up is with a Penile Implant where he could control this action himself. [no longer a natural event for him].
 
I totally agree with you "SR" on your comment.

When I read about this story a number of days ago , I thought that I read that it wasn't his sperm which did the trick, & it was donated sperm.

IVF was originally mentioned, but no mention that his sperm was used,

The doc., still would've had to 'Crack a Fat" to expel his sperm, so why didn't he do it in the natural state to impregnate his wife ?

If he had to do a "Mrs. Murphy & her 5 daughters" to extract his sperm, I reckon that he may well have suffered a Heart attack with exertion.

I re-read this posting, no mention of the doc's sperm being used. There's plenty of inuendo that it was his, but, not saying that it was his.

I think someone is telling "Porkies".

Maybe someone could correct me.

Veggie, where are you on this one ?
 
There are millions of children brought up fatherless without a father roll model, who have become better citizens than those with father's. Second, which mother is going to go and tell the world, how her child was conceived. There are seriously so many judgemental people here, who think they hold God's book of rules, on how a child should come into this world. Is being conceived by an aged man's sperm, make the born child any less of a human. Sadly, that's what you are trying to say. Shame on you. As long as the child is alive and well, to hell with all criticism on how it arrived. Grow up all you sad arrogant critics, who are coming across like a group of clones, who hudle together with their self-centred views, and who can't think or see past their nose. You all did a lot of living, but have missed out on the precious meaning of life. Dear members, am I going to judge you according to the way your mother gave birth to you, no, I will accept you for the good, kind, respectful human that you are. So how many members are going to laugh at this post, like they offen do when they think others will laugh too. If you choose to mock this post, go to the mirror and with all honesty, would you still be laughing, if you knew that you were conceived with the sperm of an elderly man. Or would you be greatful for the heart and soul you were given, when you came out into this world. 🙏🦋
 
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“….For 30 years, he's injected human growth hormone.” Why?

What a selfish man he is. And his wife must be weird to even contemplate having a child with someone 50+ years older than her.

That’ll be one screwed up kid! Wait till he reaches his teens.
 
“….For 30 years, he's injected human growth hormone.” Why?

What a selfish man he is. And his wife must be weird to even contemplate having a child with someone 50+ years older than her.

That’ll be one screwed up kid! Wait till he reaches his teens.
Dear member DLHM, thankyou for your post. Let us for a moment assume that you were born that kid, your mother never told you how you were conceived. Would you still call yourself a skrewed up kid, especially in your teens, because you are certainly coming across as an uneducated, out of date and arragant skrew up adult, who lacks human qualities. You will never know how many of your associates, friends or family members were truly conceived. Would you still call them skrewed up. You speak with shallow and meaningless views. You come across as one who is still living in the BC days. Grow up this is 2025, the modern day era, where life can become famous, respected and loved, regardless of the way he it she was conceived. Have a pleasant evening. 🙏🦋
 
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Dear member DLHM, thankyou for your post. Let us for a moment assume that you were born that kid, your mother never told you how you were conceived. Would you still call yourself a skrewed up kid, especially in your teens, because you are certainly coming across as an uneducated, out of date and arragant skrew up adult, who lacks human qualities. You will never know how many of your associates, friends or family members were truly conceived. Would you still call them skrewed up. You speak with shallow and meaningless views. You come across as one who is still living in the BC days. Grow up this is 2025, the modern day era, where life can become famous, respected and loved, regardless of the way he it she was conceived. Have a pleasant evening. 🙏🦋
No one is judging the child or how it was born.

I for one are saying the parents are wrong and this article is wrong.
The parents named themselves and gave permission to use their photos.
Did they not think what they could be causing that child by going public!

Children are affected by how their parents are.

I was born when my mother was 14 and this didnt bother me. I had a friend whose father was 60 when she was born and she was embarrassed when he turned up to school events as people thought it was her grandfather.
She never had a good relationship with her father because of his age. So @DLHM was actually correct with her statement and I think you were a tad rude to her and a little judgmental.

Apparently his grandchildren are very embarrassed

They mentioned that people are shocked when they hear the baby is his and that he isn't the Great Grandfather.

He is not even the biological father, they used a sperm donor through IVF !!

Im a very open person but I think this is one thing they should have at least not disclosed their identity, then again maybe they made money from the story.

Have a Pleasant Weekend
 
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No one is judging the child or how it was born.

I for one are saying the parents are wrong and this article is wrong.
The parents named themselves and gave permission to use their photos.
Did they not think what they could be causing that child by going public!

Children are affected by how their parents are.

I was born when my mother was 14 and this didnt bother me. I had a friend whose father was 60 when she was born and she was embarrassed when he turned up to school events as people thought it was her grandfather.
She never had a good relationship with her father because of his age. So @DLHM was actually correct with her statement and I think you were a tad rude to her and a little judgmental.

Apparently his grandchildren are very embarrassed

They mentioned that people are shocked when they hear the baby is his and that he isn't the Great Grandfather.

He is not even the biological father, they used a sperm donor through IVF !!

Im a very open person but I think this is one thing they should have at least not disclosed their identity, then again maybe they made money from the story.

Have a Pleasant Weekend
Dear Suzanne, thankyou for your post. I stand by every word in my post. I was not the judgemental person regarding this story, if anything I was being compassionate, empathizing and being totally accepting of the personal decisions made by the mother. For people who feel it is their God given right to play the role of the judge in a court of ethics and morals, well all the best to them. We are all different, we all experience different things and we all think in our own individual way, we make our own choices for what ever the reason may be. Having said that, people should stop poking fun at age differences, and no one is making fun and gossiping about the age differences with the parents and these children, except people like yourself, and member DLHM, who stated that it will be a screwed up kid when in his teens. Yes the parents have gone public, but how many people remember what they ate last week, who is going to hold on to that information of how the child was conceived 20 years down the line, when the child has grown to become a respected adult. I mean no disrespect to you Suzanne as I have come to admire the strong and amazing woman that you are. But with this article, I am saying that I feel strongly about the freedom of choice that this mother has made. We can not all be clones and have the same kind of families. Everyone has made their choice as to how they would conceive a child and how many children they want to have. It all comes down to respect for another person's life style, even if that means it is totally different to our own way of life. This is a free country, let people choose to live as they wish, without pointing the finger at them with gossip. Have a good morning Suzanne. 🙏🦋
 
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No one is judging the child or how it was born.

I for one are saying the parents are wrong and this article is wrong.
The parents named themselves and gave permission to use their photos.
Did they not think what they could be causing that child by going public!

Children are affected by how their parents are.

I was born when my mother was 14 and this didnt bother me. I had a friend whose father was 60 when she was born and she was embarrassed when he turned up to school events as people thought it was her grandfather.
She never had a good relationship with her father because of his age. So @DLHM was actually correct with her statement and I think you were a tad rude to her and a little judgmental.

Apparently his grandchildren are very embarrassed

They mentioned that people are shocked when they hear the baby is his and that he isn't the Great Grandfather.

He is not even the biological father, they used a sperm donor through IVF !!

Im a very open person but I think this is one thing they should have at least not disclosed their identity, then again maybe they made money from the story.

Have a Pleasant Weekend
Thank you @Suzanne rose. You speak with your feet on the ground and not with your head in the clouds. 🥰
 
Pretty poor journalism and proofreading here. In the first paragraph it states he had his first child at 93. However, in succeeding paragraphs it talks about the children from his first marriage. Very, very slack journalism!
 
Dear member DLHM, thankyou for your post. Let us for a moment assume that you were born that kid, your mother never told you how you were conceived. Would you still call yourself a skrewed up kid, especially in your teens, because you are certainly coming across as an uneducated, out of date and arragant skrew up adult, who lacks human qualities. You will never know how many of your associates, friends or family members were truly conceived. Would you still call them skrewed up. You speak with shallow and meaningless views. You come across as one who is still living in the BC days. Grow up this is 2025, the modern day era, where life can become famous, respected and loved, regardless of the way he it she was conceived. Have a pleasant evening. 🙏🦋
Your condescending reply is not appreciated @7777, and I prefer you keep your opinions about me to yourself.

Your opinion that I “speak with shallow and meaningless views” and telling me to “grow up” shows how little you know.

All the replies you post are the same. You try to come across as so caring, but it sounds very hypocritical to me.
 
I totally agree with you "SR" on your comment.

When I read about this story a number of days ago , I thought that I read that it wasn't his sperm which did the trick, & it was donated sperm.

IVF was originally mentioned, but no mention that his sperm was used,

The doc., still would've had to 'Crack a Fat" to expel his sperm, so why didn't he do it in the natural state to impregnate his wife ?

If he had to do a "Mrs. Murphy & her 5 daughters" to extract his sperm, I reckon that he may well have suffered a Heart attack with exertion.

I re-read this posting, no mention of the doc's sperm being used. There's plenty of inuendo that it was his, but, not saying that it was his.

I think someone is telling "Porkies".

Maybe someone could correct me.

Veggie, where are you on this one ?
I'm coming....

AHHHH!
 

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