IVF success declines sharply after age 42; IUI rates hold until age 39: fertility treatments.(Obstetrics)

SAN ANTONIO -- Although women between the ages of 40 and 42 can expect reduced, but reasonable, in vitro fertilization success rates, a new study suggests that those success rates plummet once they reach age 43.

"We all know that after age 40, IVF success rates drop significantly, but I wanted to see at what age specifically there is a really sharp drop," said Dr. Selen Hotamisligil, who presented her study as a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

She said her findings indicate that IVF patients who are 43 years old should be strongly counseled about using donor eggs. Dr. Hotamisligil evaluated 799 women aged 40-45 who initiated IVF cycles at the Reproductive Science Center then in Waltham, Mass., now located in Lexington, Mass.

The patient's age at treatment; the number of oocytes retrieved, inseminated, and fertilized; the number of embryos transferred; the number of sacs; and the pregnancy outcome all were analyzed.

All women were considered "good" candidates for IVF based on FSH levels and regular menstruation, she said.

However, the live birth rate per cycle was dramatically reduced in women aged 43 and older.