IVF can only stall natural declines in fertility for so long. Less than a quarter of women aged 38 are likely to have children following a course of IVF, while it works in just 1.3 per cent of women aged 44 or older.
鈥淎ge is the single most important factor in IVF success,鈥� says of the Hospital Universitario Quiron-Dexeus in Barcelona, Spain. She presented the results from a study of more than 4000 women over the age of 38 at the in Lisbon, Portugal, last week.
Her team found a sharp decline in the likelihood of a baby being born following a course of IVF after the age of 38. While women aged 38 and 39 had a 23 per cent chance of giving birth, this dropped to 6 per cent at 42 and 43. For women aged 44 or older, the success rate for women using their own eggs was 1.3 per cent.
Advertisement
鈥淲e know that the success of IVF sharply declines over the age of 38, but these women make up an increasing proportion of IVF patients,鈥� says Devesa. Women over 37 made up a third of those undergoing IVF .
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淪harp decline in IVF success in late 30s鈥�
