Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think having a baby where either parent is of an advanced age is ever a good idea. Hugh Hefner will be 82 in April. How much time would that poor baby get with its father before Hugh dies?
3-5 years still puts Hugh in his upper 80s which is somewhat unlikely, and still pretty far above the average lifespan of an American man. Even if Hugh lives another 10 years, what kind of a father can you be to a kid in your mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. And raising a child in the Playboy Mansion sound like the intro to a bad reality show with some out of control kid in 20 years.

Holly is young! If this is what she wants - congrats and good luck!

How true is it that older fathers have a higher rate of defects/dissabilties? Is this just a myth? I have no children, Im 30 and my partner is 39 and Im starting to worry now!! Obviously very different to comparing it to Hugh Hefner in his 80's- but if anyone can shed any light on older fathers and the link to any problems pls let me know. Thanks :)

Tony Randall became a father in his late 70s-early 80s, and even though he's gone now, his childen are healthy and fine as far as I know. (I still remember reading on CBB about Enrique Iglesias' 90 yr old grandfather/abuelo Iglesias becoming becoming a father again post-humously, which is unusual to say the least.)

Holly's under 30, so if she wants to have a child via Hef's sperm & a sperm bank, I guess it's up to her! Hef's ex wives had to raise their kids as single mothers for the most part (bc of his lifestyle), so Holly won't be any different, I guess.

I wonder though what Hef's teenage sons think of his girlfriends/housemates? Especially since some of the girls aren't many yrs older than them! :O

Hef has two other children, 2 adult children and what's another one or two on the inheritance list.

Ridiculous

I'd love to see Holly get her wish of being a mommy, but I really don't think that they'd make them wait out in the waiting room with all the other "normal" people. Don't celebs get special treatment, when it comes to privacy things like this at doctor's offices? I'd think so.

If it is true, yay! I know how much it means to some women to become a mother.

Personally I don't think that it's a negative thing for them to try to have a baby because of Hef's age. Anything can happen to anyone despite their age my own mother died 10 years ago at the age of 30. I hope that everything works out for them.

iluvallbabies, I have read medical articles and in my medical class we just finished the male reproductive system and I believe it was something mentioned.

I would love to see Holly carry his child if they both want it. My only problem with it is that I do believe he is still separated (as he has been for several years) from his wife (who lives on the same street a house lot down with his 2 boys) and is not proceeding with divorce. This would bother me greatly if I was Holly. From watching "The Girls Next Door," I also believe it bothers Holly, and she also wishes he would divorce and marry her. If I am incorrect, please correct me. Thank you.

Cindy M, I saw a documentary recently on Hugh and yes, he and Kimberly are just separated and she stated that she did not want a divorce. She gave me the impression that she doesn't love Hugh enough to "really" stay married to him, but really doesn't want to be a divorced woman. It does put Holly in an odd position.

I don't think there is anything wrong with Holly having a baby. So many women these days are raising children without fathers and like wise, many men are raising children without mothers for whatever reason. I have a friend who I had lost touch with, who I found out is raising his 6 year old daughter by himself.

My sister is also raising her three kids without their father. In her situation, no father is better. That is when family steps in and my husband and father provide the positive male role models for her kids.

While having two bioligical parents around might be some people's ideal, the reality is that it just dosn't always happen. At the very least, Holly and the baby will be supported financialy and won't have to struggle as so many people do.

I think it's lovely. It hurts me to read all the negative comments about this. Hef and Holly have one of the most loving and genuine relationships I have ever seen. Even though Hef has two other girlfriends and their situation is what you can call "non-traditional", that certainly doesn't make it bad. Hugh and Holly are much more in love than many other couples I know that are married with two kids and a dog, living in the suburbs (AKA, "traditional".) If they want to have a baby, no one in the world has the right to stop them.

iluvlillbabies: that is true. with older fathers there is an increased rate of schizophrenia and with older mothers (and maybe fathers?) there is an increased rate of downs syndrome. i'm not sure what the increased rate is though (5% chance? 15% chance?), and what other syndromes are tied to age. the increased risk starts at age 40 is what my ob-gyn told me. if you are worried, i suggest you speak with a genetic counselor. they could help you and your hubby assess your risks.

Yup the older you are, the higher your risks of defects and disabilities. I read after the age of 50 for a men, you have a higher chance oof having children with autism and schizophrenia and of course down syndrome. Of course with older men you take a chance too, but I can see a man or woman having kids in their 40's, but 80's is a totally different story. Personally 82 is way too old for a man to be a father, what about playing baseball and having fun with the child, how much can he do when at 90 he would have say a 7 or 8 yr old. Their whole relationship is quite odd IMO.

Mimi, I doubt Holly cared about privacy at the doctor's office. She desperately wants a baby with Hef and mentions it at every opportunity on the E! show and whenever she makes appearances on other shows. I doubt she'd want to keep it a secret - having a baby with him validates her entire existence (in her mind, anyway), so my guess is she'd want everyone to know about it.

Noelle--You're so right. I think the basis for every strong, committed relationship is to have two other women living and sleeping with your husband. That's a foundation of trust!

How funny that Hef's age didn't appear in the article...hmmmm.

Sarah's note: Missy should have included it. I'll put it in there right now.

If it's true I wish them the best of luck! Having a baby is always wonderful : ) And I really do believe that Holly and Hef are in love and do care about each other. Of course I don't know if it's true, but it is the way I feel about this couple.

Love doesnt stop when you get to be 80 (or 40 or 50 or 60 for that matter). I watch the show freqently and Hef and Holly seem to be madly in love. She wants a child, he seems to be ok give her that so what is the problem.

Life and death is never certain. A 25 yr old can die tomorrow, and 80 yr old may have another 20 years in them. Hef is no dummy! I am sure he knows he is not invincible, i am sure Holly knows this. I am sure this baby will be well loved and very well taken care of.

Is a woman who gets pregnant via sperm donor a bad person? What about a widow who has given birth with her dead husbands sperm (in the news recently) Adoptive parents? Homosexual couples, are they less responsible? What about a man who raises a child without a wife? Can a teen mother not love and care for a baby? What about divorce? What about kids in foster care, children who grow up in the projects, will they never ammount to anything? Sometimes life isnt "ideal" but life does not have to be PERFECT to be WONDERFUL. Holly and HEf my have many many years between them..but so what!

While I wouldn't want to have a baby with a man of Hef's age, I'm in no position to judge. I love their E! show, and I believe that they are genuinely in love.
Holly is a smart woman who desperately wants to have a baby, she truly loves Hef, and I'm sure she's quite well aware of his age. If this is something she wants to do, I say go for it! He seems to have given her everything else, so why wouldn't he give her her biggest wish -- a baby!
I wish them the absolute best!

I think there's nothing ridiculous (as someone wrote) in wishing to have a baby with a person you love, no matter how old he is and how long would you expect him to live.
Good luck to holly and Hef.

If true, I wish them all the best. I think they have a sweet and genuine relationship.

Would Holly want a baby with Hef if he was a plumber, clerk etc? He is rich and to have a baby with an old man is denying the baby some semblance of a future with a father. Besides, what about the other 2 girls? This scenario just doesn't make sense and that is my opinion.

Personally, I couldn't imagine looking at a man of his age, being Holly's age, and wanting to be intimate, let alone have a baby, when he could very easily be my grandfather!

Good for them. As for Hef's age, did anyone consider that may be why they are going to a fertility specialist. IVF procedures can now include genetic testing on the embryo before insertion. That way only the embryos that are genetically favorable (chromosomally speaking) are used. They can even use gender preselection. It's fascinating what science can do

I certainly wouldn't have a baby with a man of any age who is married to one woman and dating two other women besides me. There is such a thing as self-respect that no amount of money can buy.

I am sure that Holly is well aware that she would be raising her child as a single mother. I'm willing to bet that her and Hugh have talked about this in much detail. Holly has always wanted to be a mom, why not have the father be a man she is in love with? Many women choose to become single parents. As long as they can provide for their children, they should certainly go ahead with their plans.
As far as Hugh's age, both Hugh and Holly know he won't live forever. Nobody is going to live forever. My cousin died last week at 32, leaving behind 2 small children. We knew he was sick, but he could have had 50 years or 5 months ahead of him. Should they have not had children because he was sick? I think that's a ridiculous notion.

If Holly doesn't get pregnant and Hef dies, what then will she do for an occupation? The girls will be out of the mansion once he is gone. She lives, sleeps, eats etc. at the mansion now. Hef is not even attractive and I just don't believe that Holly is or was ever in love with him$$$$$$$ He most likely uses viagra anyways. I guess with Hef and all his girls-love is blind... I like Hef but a guy who lives in pj's!!

I find it kinda ironic that Hugh Hefner - THE Playboy mogul and icon himself - is unable to impregnate his girlfriend the old-fashioned way. *snickers*

Beverley, well said! On the other hand, I'm guessing that self-respect has little (or nothing) to do with it. I'd be willing to bet that Hef's women - past, present, AND future - have traditionally traded in their self-respect in order to get a tiny slice of the infamous Playboy pie.

I say "Yea" for Holly! I'm a big fan of the show and I like the bond between her and Hef. I know he's old, but she is young, and there are plenty of single moms out there. I think she really loves him and wants a baby with HIM...not someone else. Go for it!

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

SAS- Are you saying that Holly should be deprived of being a mother, something she seems to so despertly want?

What bothers me about this isn't that they want to have a child, or that he's old. I am bothered by the fact that he isn't even divorced from his 2nd wife and he's got 3 girlfriends, one of them being Holly. If they were in a monogomous loving relationship, then all power to them. But, he's MARRIED. And she's not even his only girlfriend....

wonder what her parents think about this...

If this is what she really wants, I hope that she is very happy with her decision. I have a feeling that she's going to find motherhood to be very trying, especially since Hef has said he's not helping with the baby.

Sometimes it's not about what YOU want, but what's best for the baby. This doesn't seem like the best family situation to bring a child into. Too much confusion.

i'm happy for Holly! I think she would be a good mom - I just don't know if the Playboy mansion is the best place to raise a child. I wonder if the other girls will move out or stay and help raise the baby...weird.