How Old Is Too Old for In Vitro Fertilization?

It’s a fact that American women are starting families later in life. Since the year 2000, 46 states and Washington, D.C. have experienced an increase in the number of women over age 35 having their first child.

As a result, many of these older women need to rely on assisted reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization (IVF). Female fertility begins to decline naturally around age 30. A woman in her early 40s has only about a five percent chance of conceiving naturally in any monthly cycle.

How old is too old for in vitro fertilization?

Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer to this question. Generally speaking, women over the age of 43 are not advised to undergo IVF with their own eggs. Instead, reproductive specialists recommend using donor eggs, as older eggs have a higher chance of being chromosomally abnormal. These abnormalities can lead to miscarriage, disease, or problems in growth or development. Women over the age of 50 are generally not considered candidates for IVF.

However, women of any age with access to viable eggs or embryos (her own or from a donor) and a receptive uterus (her own or with a gestational surrogate) is capable of achieving motherhood through IVF. If you are between the ages of 35 and 50 and are considering in vitro fertilization, it’s important to understand your risks of pregnancy and perinatal complications, such as:

  • Obstetric hemorrhage
  • Preeclampsia
  • Pregnancy induced hypertension
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Higher rate of Cesarean delivery
  • Preterm delivery
  • Low birth weight

If you would like to explore your options for fertility treatments or are in need of skilled in vitro fertilization services in Columbus, Akron, Canton, Youngstown and other Ohio communities, please contact Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility at 866-537-2461. Our fellowship-trained, board-certified fertility specialists are dedicated to helping you achieve the family of your dreams in a safe, compassionate, and state-of-the-art environment.

What Our Patients Say About Us

RGI made our dreams come true! And Samantha’s gift of hope….there really aren’t words to express how they changed our lives. We won their grant in 2019 and it has continued to bless us several years later. Every time we make a financial decision I think of SGH and how I don’t know if it’d be possible if it wasn’t for them.
RGI and Samantha’s Gift of Hope has forever changed our lives in the best way possible because they have given us the greatest gift we could ever get—our sweet daughter. We have this joy of being parents we had previously only dreamed about, and honestly weren’t sure we would ever have. Now, everyday is filled with baby giggles and snuggles, cheering her on to her next milestone (which is currently crawling), and trying to be the best parents we can be. We will never be able to repay RGI and Samantha’s Gift of Hope, but we will forever be grateful to them and are daily reminded of it.
RGI made it possible for us to experience the joys of becoming parents. There is no greater feeling or love in this world that we’ve experienced than bringing Liam into this world. We truly understand the miracle and blessings babies are. SGOH we will forever feel grateful for. We cannot thank Lisa, Matt and Sam enough for their generosity and helping couples pay towards their IVF journeys. Honestly, SGOH really does provide HOPE. Winning the grant also helped us to feel like this is really happening, it’s meant to be.
Because of Samantha’s Gift of Hope, our dream of having a child came true. We could focus more on each step of the process and keep a positive attitude through it all instead of constantly worrying about what things cost and how we would make it work. Now, our sweet Tenley girl is 1 week old and I continue to be thankful each day for the opportunity Samantha’s Gift of Hope gave us. We are now living out our favorite roles as mom and dad and are filled with so much love for our little girl!
“RGI is amazing, start to finish. They never make you feel anything but comfortable. Thank you all for your compassion and care!”
“Thank you for everything the RGI team has done for our family! Everyone has been amazing, and we are grateful for your skills.”
“A wonderful place! I would highly recommend RGI to anyone who is in the same position as me and my husband.”
“Thank you! Everyone is extremely caring and professional. I wouldn’t go anywhere else!”
“RGI went above and beyond to make my husband and me comfortable and happy with the care they gave us!”
“We had a wonderful experience with the RGI staff during our IVF cycle. All staff were kind, friendly and very informative! We felt comfortable at every visit and each procedure. The staff at RGI are wonderful and made our IVF journey a great experience. We are so thankful!”

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