Contrary to past trends, many adults in today’s world choose to put off having a family until their late 30s or 40s rather than taking on the responsibility in their 20s. You may want to travel or focus on education or career before settling down with kids. However, conceive rates for women start to drop after the age of 35 and continue to decrease from there.
At this point, many women may start wondering if in vitro fertilization is a suitable alternative to traditional conception. The answer is yes — but before you make a decision, you should know all the facts about success rates for IVF, as well as how it impacts older adults.
IVF Success Rates for Older Women
The IVF option can increase your chances of pregnancy once you’ve reached older adulthood, but the odds of conception — especially from your own eggs — are still rather low after the age of 44. In fact, a 40-year-old woman only has about a 5% chance of getting pregnant, compared to a 20% chance for a 30-year-old.
But, this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get pregnant in your 40s. Many older women can and do get pregnant via IVF and manage to deliver healthy, happy babies. Because so many women are choosing to start families later in life, scientists are constantly trying to develop new ways to help people conceive.
How to Increase Your IVF Odds
Like any other woman trying to conceive, you can help increase your odds by practicing healthy habits. For instance, being underweight or overweight can impact your chances of success, so it’s important to try to maintain a healthy weight before and during IVF treatment. Having a healthy diet and cutting out habits like smoking or drinking alcohol can also make a significant difference in your chances.
While it is possible to conceive a child with your own eggs after you’ve turned 40, the success rates have historically been small. It’s natural to want to have a child with your own eggs, but if you’re struggling to make this a reality, consider looking into the use of a donor’s eggs to get pregnant instead. Statistics say that while women who conceive via IVF with their own eggs have only about a 15% chance of success, the success rate for women who use a donor is almost 40 percent.
Should You Consider IVF After 40?
Conception for older women comes with increased health risks, and even IVF treatments may not yield the results you’re looking for. That doesn’t mean you should give up, though. So many women over 40 turn to IVF as part of their conception plan and end up with happy families. Talk to your reproductive endocrinologist about your options, and you could become the next success story.
Call Western Fertility Institute today for more information about IVF treatments!
This content was medically reviewed by the Western Fertility Institute medical team on July 25, 2019.