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People who use assisted reproductive technology in vitro fertilization, often known as IVF, to grow their families may be curious about the procedure's success rates. Maternal age is one of several variables that affect the likelihood of conception. Age can impact a woman's capacity to conceive naturally and the outcome of infertility treatment.

IVF success rates also follow a similar pattern because fertility rates often decline as people aging. This article will examine how age affects IVF success rates, why success pregnancy rates decline with age and additional elements that might exert clinical results.

Average Success Rates Of IVF

In IVF cycles without genetic testing for aneuploidy, the success rate of IVF is closely proportional to the egg age. Most women are now aware that getting pregnant is affected by age and that even with in vitro fertilization, the number of live births and pregnancies declines.

As a mother becomes older, aneuploidy, a genetic defect whose incidence rises with age, becomes an essential factor in the rise in miscarriages and decline in conceptions. To screen embryos for aneuploidy before implantation, we anticipate a success rate (live births) of 60–65% for each genetically normal seed.

Nevertheless, IVF offers significantly better outcomes than natural or artificial insemination, and it is possible for women in their 30s and 40s to conceive by utilizing their own eggs. Unfortunately, beyond the age of 40s, IVF success rates substantially decline. For this reason, the majority of women who are over 40 use donor eggs. IVF with donor eggs success rates are less impacted by a woman's age.

Why Age Matters in IVF

Egg quality is essential to IVF's success. The quality of a woman's own eggs tends to decline with age. It is one of the fundamental factors affecting fertility preservation and pregnancy loss rates. A young woman's reproductive and egg retrieval potential is probably at its highest, whether through natural conception or assisted reproductive technology.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Summary Report websites provide statistics on IVF success rates (SART). You can find the statistics for a particular fertility clinic and national rates from these sources. Typically, IVF success rates decline with age if donor eggs aren't used.

Success Rates For IVF By Age

The quantity and quality of a woman's own eggs and hormones for IVF often decline as she ages. The quality of the embryos may suffer as a result, which lowers their possibility of implantation in the uterus. The amount and egg quality decline during 30 years, becoming increasingly apparent around age 40. The woman's chance of becoming pregnant or producing a quality single embryo that successfully implants in the uterine wall might be decreased by insufficient ovarian reserve, poorer egg quality, egg retrieval, or fewer eggs overall.

It is crucial to remember that statistics should not be used to make assumptions about outcomes because every human body exhibits unique tendencies; a variety of additional factors also impact how well this therapy works.

IVF Success Rates Under 30 To 35

According to the Society for Reproductive Technology (SART), 55.6% of live births after the IVF cycle occur in women between 30 and 35 years old. The initial embryo transfer has a 41.4% live birth percentage. The rate of live births for later embryo transfers is around 47%. It's also critical to remember that every one of these numbers assumes a woman uses her own eggs.

IVF Success Rates by Age 36 To 37

IVF using own eggs for women 36–37 years old had a 40.8% success rate. At the initial embryo transfer, 31.6% of pregnancies result in live births. The live birth rate rises to 44.7% for the second and subsequent embryo transfers.

IVF Success Rates by Age 38 To 40

The IVF success rate for women between the ages of 38 and 40 is 26.8% of live birth. It is lower than the success rate for 35 and 37. In this group of women, a live delivery occurs after the initial embryo transfer in 22.3% of cases. The second or subsequent embryo transfers in this group of women result in a live birth of 40.9%.

Success Rates For IVF Over 40

The IVF success rate is around 7% live birth percentage for women over 40. However, those under the age of 42 have a greater success rate than women over 42. Women over the age of 40 frequently decide to use egg donation. The age component is removed from the IVF successful pregnancy equation, leaving the burden of fertility on egg donors in their mid-20s.

IVF Age Limit

In vitro fertilization has helped many women to conceive children after their 40s. However, fertility sharply declines beyond the maternal age of 40. Additionally, menopause or ovarian failure are signs that this window is closing. Your medical team may now talk to you about alternative possibilities, such as adoption, egg donation, or surrogacy.

Then, why does IVF cycle data not reflect this?

It is because older women often:

1. Create fewer eggs;

2. Have a lesser likelihood that the eggs they can recover will result in a transferable embryo.

Therefore, older women have a lower chance than women younger of having chromosomally normal embryos, even if they do have developing embryos. Embryos with chromosomal abnormalities can cause pregnancy loss or negative pregnancy rates after embryo transfer. Due to this, preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), also known as PGT-A, is becoming more and more common in IVF cycles utilizing older women's own eggs.

Why IVF Success Decreases with Age

Pregnancy loss is more likely to occur as women aging. Clinics estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of pregnancies miscarry before the 20th week. Pregnancy loss is at risk by around 20% at age 35, 40% at age 40, and up to 80% at 45 and beyond age group.

Decreased ovarian reserve

A woman's chances of becoming pregnant or acquiring a quality embryo that successfully engrafts onto the uterine wall might be reduced if she has a low ovarian reserve or fewer eggs overall.

Low-quality embryos

Poor embryo quality raises the possibility of miscarriage or implant failure. It is possible if there aren't enough eggs collected for the IVF cycle or the eggs are of poor quality.

Amount of IVF cycles

Most couples and individuals undergo two to three IVF rounds before becoming pregnant. Women may discontinue the IVF procedure too soon, as after multiple cycles. However, there is some proof that the success rates rise after a certain number of IVF treatments, like six.

It is also imperative to highlight that fertility doctors occasionally decide to stop IVF treatment due to insufficient egg retrieval follicles.

IVF Success Rates By Age And Number Of Embryos

Some patients can only use egg donation to start a family. The fact that eggs are often retrieved from a young woman ensures that they can develop healthy embryos; even though the technique can occasionally be logistically challenging, it can offer exceptional success rates.

Preimplantation diagnosis, or PGD, is one technique that aids the doctor in selecting the best embryo for in vitro fertilization. According to studies, donor eggs have a success percentage for IVF between 70 and 80%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses the egg donor success rates for different age groups as a single statistic since utilizing donor eggs does not depend so much on the specific patient's age.

Some patients wonder if they should utilize fresh or frozen eggs, although both have success rates. You would need to engage with an agency, which can take time while they find an egg donor, and complete all the paperwork unless you already have someone who has consented to be your donor. Therefore, frozen donor eggs are a fantastic alternative and may be sent to your fertility clinic from egg banks around the nation.

How To Increase The Success Rate Of IVF

Success rates for IVF rely on many variables, some of which you may influence and others of which can be enhanced by keeping a healthy lifestyle.

The following elements are considered while determining the chances:

• Women age;
• Height and weight;
• The number of prior full-term live births;
• The overall amount of pregnancies (including pregnancy loss);
• If you intend to use donor eggs or your own eggs;
• Fertility issues.

Make a Decision

Infertility is a complicated issue that affects up to 15% of couples attempting to conceive. You could be unsure if it's worthwhile to pursue treatment options of IVF due to the hefty expense in addition to its emotional and physical effects.

The decision to undergo IVF is impacted by many aspects, including relationship dynamics, family support, religious beliefs, financial status, lifestyle, and mental health. If statistical probabilities may affect your plans, you are not a statistician. Ultimately, your decision must be determined by your motives.