Today, it’s increasingly common for couples to delay having children, and look at treatment such as IVF at 40 and over.
Being over 40 doesn’t mean you can’t start a family, over the past 30 years, the pregnancy rate for IVF patients aged 40-42 has risen to 16% and to 6% for those aged 43-50.
Here we’ll explore what you need to know about preparing for IVF at 40 and over.
In this article:
- Why is trying to conceive more difficult as you get older?
- Can you still have IVF at 40 or over?
- What is PGT-A screening?
- Should you use donor eggs if you’re considering IVF at 40 or over?
Why is trying to conceive more difficult as you get older?
Women are born with their lifetime supply of eggs, which decrease in quality and quantity as they age. Eventually, this stock of eggs runs out, and menopause marks the end of a woman’s fertility.
In the years before menopause, menstrual cycles may become more irregular and eggs lower in quality, lowering your chances of getting pregnant.
This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get pregnant, however, as the number of women over 40 who have conceived has risen by almost 20% since 2011.
Can you still have IVF at 40 or over?
NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) fertility guidelines recommend women aged 40 to 42 should be offered 1 cycle of IVF on the NHS, if the following is true:
- They’ve been trying to conceive for 2 years. Or they haven’t been able to get pregnant after 12 cycles of artificial insemination
- They’ve never had IVF treatment
- They show no evidence of low ovarian reserve
- They’ve been informed of the additional implications of having IVF at 40 or over
- If you’re not eligible for treatment on the NHS, you can have IVF at a private clinic or abroad
What is PGT-A screening?
PGT-A (Pre-Implementation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy) is often recommended for people over 40. It’s a form of embryo screening which can detect chromosomal abnormalities in embryos created through IVF.
Chromosomal abnormalities, or aneuploidies, happen when an embryo has too many or too few chromosomes. This can lead to genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome or Turner Syndrome, or serious developmental problems.
Although chromosomal abnormalities impact women of all ages, they are far more common for those trying to conceive over 40. PGT-A screening is a way for fertility specialists to select embryos with the best implantation and development potential.
Should you use donor eggs if you’re considering IVF at 40 or over?
Over the past ten years, use of donor eggs, sperm and embryos in fertility treatments has increased to account for around 1 in every 200 births.
IVF with donor eggs is used to help people struggling with infertility, medical, or genetic conditions that affect egg quality or production. Women aged over 45 also aren’t usually recommended to go through IVF using their own eggs.
The process is very similar to a regular IVF cycle, with the exception that eggs from a donor are mixed with the male partner’s sperm to create embryos.
Across all age groups birth rates are above 30% when using donor eggs.