Egg freezing after 35 is still an option; however, you may require multiple rounds of treatment to improve your chances of success, and the quality of your eggs will be lower. We don't generally freeze eggs after the age of 40, as the chance of a healthy live birth is very low.
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. According to research, women who are under age 36 when freezing their eggs have a 95% survival rate for their eggs once they are thawed.
"Studies suggest that women who freeze their eggs before age 35 have a better chance of a successful pregnancy than those who freeze their eggs after age 35." This is because the more eggs retrieved and frozen, the better the chance of a successful pregnancy.
Egg freezing typically works best for women in their 20s to 30s, and is not generally recommended for women older than 38 years. The biological clock cannot be reversed by oocyte cryopreservation in women older than 40.
Egg freezing typically works best for those in their 20s to early 30s, and is not usually recommended for women over 38 years.
The data in the graph above shows that:
Women under 38 in our IVF program have acceptable live birth rates even with only 3 – 6 eggs, do better with more than 6 eggs, and do best with more than 10 eggs. Women 38-40 and 41-42 years old have low live birth rates with low egg numbers.
At 37-38 years, even healthy women will have around 25,000 of their eggs but by then the quality of these eggs also becomes a concern.
By 40, less than half of a woman's eggs are considered normal. Egg quality is largely determined by the ovarian environment that the eggs spend their final 90 days of development in; women in their 40s generally have a poor ovarian environment for producing high-quality eggs.
When the procedure is performed above this age, the chances of successful livebirth are significantly reduced. Previous research and advice has recommended that women should freeze their eggs before the age of 35, with emphasis placed on the number of good eggs successfully frozen.
If you're 35 or older, you can still freeze your eggs! It just means that you may need to consider doing a second round of egg freezing if you don't meet your goal from the first cycle. If you're 38, you should plan for about 2 cycles of egg freezing to give yourself the best chances of having a child from these eggs.
Egg quality starts to decline at age 32 and decreases rapidly after 37. Advanced maternal age also heightens the risk of birth defects.
ACOG states that a female's fertility gradually and significantly drops around age 32. They will have around 120,000 eggs, with a 20% chance of conceiving per cycle. ACOG further states that a female will experience a rapid decline by age 37, when egg count drops to around 25,000.
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.
Best chance for success with egg freezing at 40
Unfortunately, there is no number of eggs that guarantees a future healthy pregnancy, but research suggests that women aged 38-40 would need approximately 26 eggs frozen to result in a 70% chance of live birth, compared to only 14 eggs for those age 30-34.
How many eggs does a woman have at 40? By the time a woman reaches 40, she'll be down to about 18,000 (3% of her pre-birth egg supply). Although the chances of conception are lower, this does not mean it is impossible to conceive at this age.
Deciding how many eggs to freeze
Women 38 to 40 should freeze 30 mature eggs for a 75% chance of having at least one child. Women 40 to 42 should freeze 30 mature eggs for a 50% chance of having at least one child.
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.
For example, a woman at 30 often has around 100,000-150,000 eggs in reserve. By 35, that number is likely around 80,000. Late into the thirties, that number could be 25,000, 10,000, or fewer.
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).
Pregnancy in Your 40s
If you get pregnant after 35 years old, experts call this an “advanced maternal age” pregnancy. But it's still possible to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby in your 40s. Childbirth at older ages has become more common too. Since the 1990s, birth rates in people aged 40-44 have gone up.
While it's true your fertility levels drop when you turn 35, it's still possible to get pregnant later in life, even after the age of 40. Ovarian function (meaning you still ovulate regularly) and general health are the main factors that will determine if you're able to get pregnant after 40.
Most people over 40 have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. But there are some things you need to think about. You'll want to be sure to get good antenatal care.
Can I get pregnant if I'm older than 35 or 40? Yes, you can, but you may find it takes a bit longer to get pregnant than a woman in her 20s. Every woman is born with a set number of eggs in her ovaries, and you release an egg every menstrual cycle.
Studies show that women in their 20s and 30s have the most success when getting pregnant through IVF and other reproductive technologies. According to the CDC, the average percentages of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles that lead to a live birth are: 31% in women younger than 35 years of age.