Infertility Overview

 

 

 

 

 

h When To Seek Infertility
Treatment

h Finding the Cause of your Infertility

h Overview of Infertility Treatment

h What is Reproductive
Endocrinology_

h Books about Infertility

h

h Reversal of Tubal Ligation

h Infertility Over 40

h Male Infertility

h Donor Egg IVF

h Endometriosis and Infertility

h Uterine Fibroids

h Recurrent Miscarriage

h Ectopic Pregnancy

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h Reading Between the Lines Part I: IVF Statistics

h Reading Between the Lines Part II: IVF Fees

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h Links to Infertility Sites

h Finding a Fertility Specialist

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h "About Infertility" en espaņol

 

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Infertility After 40

 

As a woman ages, her reproductive capacity decreases.   While the likelihood of naturally occurring pregnancy is about 20-25% per month for a woman in her twenties and thirties, that possibility has decreased to 5% for a woman in her early forties.

The decline in fertility is noted most acutely in IVF therapy.  In fact, age is the most important factor in IVF success rates.   For women under 35, each fertilized embryo has about a 30% chance of implanting in the uterus.  By the age of 43, that possibility has dropped to less than 5% per embryo.  (Since generally more than one embryo is transferred per IVF cycle, the actual success rate can be higher than this.)

The poorer IVF outcome  is caused by the declining quality of the woman's eggs.  And while nothing can be done to improve the quality of the eggs, there are techniques which can be used to compensate, and thus improve IVF outcome:

Higher doses of ovulation induction medications, carefully monitored on a daily basis,  can  increase the number of eggs available for htmliration.   With more eggs, a greater number of embryos can be implanted, and the odds of pregnancy therefore increased.

Assisted Hatching involves microscopically removing part of the casing around the embryo just prior to transferring it to the uterus.  This gives the embryo a better chance of "hatching" and attaching to the uterine lining.

For women whose ovaries are no longer producing good oocytes (eggs), oocytes from a relative or anonymous egg donor can be used. 

Reproductive age does not always match a woman's chronological age, however.   Thus, two blood tests - FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and E-2 (estradiol) -  can performed on the third day of the menstrual cycle to  determine whether a woman is still producing eggs and is still fertile.  While these tests cannot be relied on as    absolute (and should not, therefore, be utilized by a woman who does not want to become pregnant to determine that birth control should be discontinued), they are used by fertility specialists to judge whether a woman is a good candidate for IVF or other fertility therapies.

(The material on this site is presented for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to substitute for the recommendations of your doctor.  Every case is different, and only your own physician can advise you regarding your particular situation.)