Are There Age or Other Restrictions on Who Should Do IVF?

Age restrictions for IVF vary from clinic to clinic. In general, women older than age 40 have a markedly lower chance for a live birth compared with women younger than 40 years old. Age is probably the most important factor influencing the outcome of an IVF cycle. Many clinics will not treat patients older than age 42, and some malpractice carriers dictate that physicians not perform IVF on patients older than 43 years old with their own eggs because of the poor IVF delivery rates related to advancing age.

A woman’s chances for successful stimulated IVF can also be predicted by measurement of her FSH and estradiol levels on cycle day 3. Elevations in either hormone are associated with poor IVF success rates, so many clinics impose additional restrictions once the FSH or estradiol levels are known to be elevated. The clomiphene citrate challenge test (CCCT) is another means by which to assess ovarian reserve and predict IVF success. Older women, those with elevated FSH levels on cycle day 3, and those with elevated estradiol levels may consider IVF with donor eggs or adoption.

Rebecca comments:

At over 40 years of age, I was fortunate that I had an RE that saw beyond my chronological age and aggressively worked with my husband and me to achieve a pregnancy and live birth using my own eggs. Our third and successful IVF resulted in boy/girl twins from eggs retrieved the day before my 42nd birthday. That said, our family building journey (two IUIs, three IVFs) was not an easy process, nor an inexpensive undertaking. It took an immeasurable amount of commitment on the parts of my husband and me; it was a journey best faced as a strong, unified team. We suffered heartbreaking losses and cycle failures. With each setback we had to regroup, reassess, reevaluate our finances, and discuss our options with our RE. We moved through the medical intervention ‘process’ gaining an understanding that we took a great deal of emotional and financial risk with every cycle. As we tried to establish realistic expectations from each cycle, we also tried to define the time point or cycle number where we might move on and explore different treatment or family building options. We had a firm belief that it was absurd to bring a child into a family situation that was emotionally and/or financially exhausted. Each patient must face making their own family building decisions, but it is important to consider all the issues (emotional, medical and financial) and enter into discussions with your RE (early and often!), when making decisions to move forward with IVF at advanced maternal age.