Realistically, you can always undergo IVF unless you have experienced ovarian failure and/or menopause. However, pregnancy success rates using your own eggs drops considerably for women over 40.
IVF Age Limit
IVF at 40 and beyond has allowed many women to go on and have successful births. However, after the age of 40, fertility drastically declines. Additionally, ovarian failure or menopause usually indicates the closing of this window.
For women, in their early 40s, IVF is still a good thing to try and gives significantly higher success rates than trying naturally. However, IVF success rates fall sharply after the age of 40 and by the time a woman is 45 are close to zero.
Pregnancy after age 45 years is infrequent and the mother and baby should be considered as a high risk. There is a greater incidence of spontaneous abortion, gestational trophoblastic disease and chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
Women have “perfect” eggs below the age 30, but then egg quality starts to decline, which explains declining fertility. Over the age of 45, almost all the eggs which fertilise will create chromosomally abnormal embryos and therefore the chance of healthy, ongoing pregnancy is close to zero.
Fertility After Age 40 – IVF in the 40s. 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).
How does egg quality change over time? No one is immune to egg quality issues. Even in a woman's 20s to early 30s, approximately 25-30% of the embryos that form from their eggs are anticipated to have genetic errors. This proportion rises to ~50% by age 37-38 and to over 70% at age 40 and beyond.
IVF Treatment through our Bulk Billed Program is only available to women who are under 45 years of age or younger (at the time of egg collection). We do however have Donor Egg and Surrogacy Programs associated with our Full Service Fertility Treatment Program.
In vitro fertilization success rates decline with age, but many women in their early and mid-40s can still conceive with their own eggs, if they are given appropriate fertility treatment.
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.
Unfortunately, IVF success at 40 with own eggs is limited – it is estimated at lower than 10%. Finding an IVF clinic with high success rates or the best IVF clinic for over 45 can be challenging to say the least.
IVF Success Rates by Age
For women younger than 35, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 54.5%. For women ages 35 to 37, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 41.1%. For women ages 38 to 40, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 26.7%.
The average cost of IVF in Australia varies between $4,200 and $12,000 depending on whether you are covered by Medicare, a private health fund, and the clinic you work with.
IVF in Australia is never totally free; however, depending on your Medicare rebates and eligibility for financial assistance, you may be able to receive free procedures as part of a large IVF treatment plan.
For women of 39 years of age, chances are further halved compared to the 36-year-old. In some cases, egg quality is better than expected from the woman's age, but in some cases unfortunately worse.
At age 37, you can expect to have just 25,000 eggs — 2.5% of your starting count. The risks of getting pregnant are also higher after age 35. By age 35, you are more likely to experience miscarriage, pregnancy complications, and genetic abnormalities of the fetus.
The decline in egg count and quality is much steeper in a woman's late 30s. That's why the impact of age-related fertility decline is strongest after age 35. Due to a higher percentage of genetically abnormal eggs, other risks increase with age as well, such as the chance of miscarriage or Down syndrome.
Overall, first-time IVF success rates often fall between 25-30% for most intended parents. However, this probability tends to increase after multiple IVF cycles.
“For most couples – and certainly those where the woman is younger than 40 and those of any age using donor eggs – two-thirds will achieve a live birth after five or six treatment cycles. This will take, on average, two years and is similar to rates that couples conceiving naturally take in one year.”
For women ages 35-37, the IVF success rate is 38.3% for live births using the patient's own eggs for a singleton (one child) birth. At ages 38-40, the percentage drops to 25.1%, and for 41-42, it is 12.7%.
Egg Quality Deteriorates With Age
Women reach the peak of their fertility at around age 24. After this age, egg quality slowly deteriorates until around age 37, and then deteriorates more rapidly until about age 42. After roughly age 42, fertility for most women basically falls off a cliff.
By age 43, your egg supply is near its end. Your risk of pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, increases after 35 as well, and continues to rise into your 40s. Miscarriage rates begin to skyrocket in your 40s as well.
The average age of an IVF patient was 35.3 years in 2018; age is a key factor to consider when looking at birth rates, as fertility decreases with age. In 2018, birth rates per embryo transferred were 25% for patients aged 35-37, 19% for patients aged 38-39, and 11% for patients aged 40-42.