Although of course there are exceptions, using own eggs for IVF by women over the age of 45 is unlikely to be successful. This means that you are very unlikely to get pregnant at 45 with own eggs. Fortunately, this does not necessarily mean that a woman is incapable of carrying her own child.
Egg quantity and quality starts a precipitous decline in a woman's mid 30s. By your mid-40s, IVF with your own eggs is unlikely to be successful. In fact, the CDC calculates that only 4% of women 43 and up will go on to deliver a baby via IVF with their own eggs (after one try), Dr. Klein says.
“The rate of decline accelerates around the age of 35 and the vast majority of women are essentially infertile by the time they reach 45,” says Wells.
IVF Metrics for Women Over 43
Let's look at U.S. IVF success rates for women age 45 using their own eggs. The odds a first cycle will work are around 3%, and the odds each subsequent cycle will work begin to approach zero. After three cycles, the cumulative odds of success are about 1 in 20.
What are the chances of getting pregnant at 45 naturally? By the time you turn 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely for most women — though it can happen.
Chances of Getting Pregnant at 45 and Older
Copperman. Research has found that success rates are only slightly over 1%, and most clinics recommend using eggs donated by someone younger for those who want to conceive between ages 46 and 50.
However, it is not recommended to attempt IVF over the age of 45 years with your own eggs, as very few women conceive and have a baby with their own eggs at that age.
John Zhang of the New Hope Fertility Center made headlines by announcing that a 49-year-old patient at his clinic had given birth to a baby conceived with her own egg, frozen when she was 48. Dr. Zhang's patient is now the oldest woman ever to have a biological child through in-vitro fertilization.
Older women are more likely to miscarry or have a stillbirth. They have a greater chance of developing gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and of delivering a baby who is very small. Then there can be problems with labor, resulting in a higher chance of cesarean birth.
Only 7.3% of embryo transfers in this age group resulted in a live birth. In comparison, the live birth rate in women ages 38 – 40 years, 28.5% of embryo transfers resulted in a live birth. Thus, the pregnancy rate even with IVF (using her own eggs) is less than 5% in women above age 42 years.
“Freezing eggs after the age of 40 is not typically recommended but may be considered on a case-by-case basis,” says Cross.
The pregnancy rate with IVF using your own eggs is practically zero. We have had several patients at InVia insist on trying IVF with their own eggs. We have not had a single live-birth in women above age 45 years. An exception is a report of a 50 years old woman in India who recently had a live birth with IVF!
By the time you're over 45, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says getting pregnant naturally is “unlikely for most women.”
At age 40 and above women have reduced fertility potential as compared to that seen in younger women. They also have substantially lower success rates with fertility treatments including in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Dr. John Zhang says a 49-year-old patient at his New Hope Fertility Center gave birth this month to a baby conceived with her own egg frozen at age 48 — the oldest on record. “She's beautiful and healthy,” the jubilant mom e-mailed friends after delivering her long-awaited daughter.
The study published by the University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh University in Scotland found that women have lost 90 percent of their eggs by the time they are 30 years old, and only have about 3 percent remaining by the time they are 40.
Irregular period cycle and difficulty conceiving
If you are facing issues conceiving and have not been able to conceive for a while now, it could be one of the signs of bad egg quality.
The level of AMH in the blood can help doctors estimate the total number of follicles inside the ovaries, and therefore a woman's total egg count. Because AMH levels stay basically stable throughout a cycle, the blood test can be performed at any time.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
While fertility does decline naturally as we age, starting around age 30, it is possible to become pregnant without fertility treatments after age 40. (This is why we often recommend staying on birth control until menopause if pregnancy is undesired…if you are having periods, there is a chance you can get pregnant!)
Likelihood of pregnancy in your 40s with IVF
At an average, your chances of getting pregnant at 40 with Natural IVF* is 9%, whilst your chances with Mild IVF* are 20%. However, it is important to note that your chance of IVF success is dependent on your own specific circumstances.
As such, women over age 35 can benefit from IVF treatment when trying to conceive, or may decide on egg freezing if they are not yet ready. There is no actual age limit or cutoff for freezing your eggs, although the potential of those eggs turning into a live birth reduces in the 40s.