Having multiple tries of IVF and
still failing can be painful. A child can brighten anyone’s life and trying in
vain can be enough to throw you into deep depression. There are several factors
that contribute to successful IVF, such as alimentation, exercise, vitamins and
stress-free life. Nevertheless, there’s one bigger and more important aspect to
take into consideration: age.
Whether you’ve tried in vitro
fertilization and it didn’t work or you haven’t and wonder what your chances
are, age is the first thing to look at. In this article, you will find out
about the IVF
success rates depending on age, as well as some additional information that
may help you.
What
Is In Vitro Fertilization?
IVF is a multi-step process that
is undergone by families who want to have a baby, but fertility issues are
stopping them. The intervention consists of an egg that’s externally
fertilized, after which it’s being sent into the uterus and becoming a full
pregnancy.
This is just the main idea of the
IVF, but the steps that need to be taken vary from a family to another. For
instance, some women have to go through medication, injections or other things
to increase their fertility and thus the chance of carrying the pregnancy to
the very end.
On average, the process goes like
this:
- The patient is receiving
medication for fertility - An injection is given in
order to induce the eggs’ final maturation stage - Eggs and sperm are
collected - A laboratory grows the
embryo - The embryo is implanted
The
IVF Success Rates by Age?
As mentioned, one of the things
that have the most impact on whether IVF will be successful or not is age. When
you grow older, the fertility may decrease, thus making it less likely for you
to get pregnant. IVF does efforts to be successful at almost every age, but
it’s important to understand that there are fewer chances the older you are.
Here is the percentage for every
age:
- Under
the Age of 35
When you’re under 35, that’s the
best time to have a baby. Fertility is at its peak, so you have pretty high
chances to get pregnant. If you encounter issues, though, IVF might be able to
help. Luckily, things are very likely to go in your favor because the
percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 54.4%.
- Ages
35-37
Once you reach 35, the chances
slowly become slimmer. In other words, it’s less likely for IVF to succeed, but
not impossible. So, if you’re between 35 and 37 years old, the percentage is
42%.
- Ages
38-40
As you go further towards the age
of 40 years old, the chances decrease even more. You can still expect it to be
successful, but at the same time, it’s less likely for this to happen than it
would’ve been if you were younger. For this part of your life, the percentage
of live births per egg retrieval is around 26.6%.
- Ages
41-42
IVF success gradually goes down
even more after the age of 40. Not only that fertility is lower, but the
process has fewer chances of giving you the results that you seek. Basically,
the percentage is as low as 13.3%.
- Age
43 and Older
After you reach 43, the chance
for in vitro fertilization to work is extremely low. Although it varies from a
woman to another, this age generally is not the most successful one for having
children. Therefore, the IVF success rate is of 3.9%. For this reason, a lot of
women try donor eggs once they reach this age.
Does
It All Really Come Down to Age?
While age plays an important role
in the success of IVF, there are other factors that
will determine if you will be able to have a baby through this method or not.
Lifestyle habits and fertility problems play a huge role too, but previous
pregnancies and whether they were with the same partner also have a word to
say. Therefore, don’t rely solely on age when it comes to IVF.
Final
Thoughts
Before you try in vitro
fertilization, it’s important to think about your age and be aware that the
rate of success may depend on whether you’re younger or older. Hopefully, this
article has helped you come to a decision.