“Patients should be counseled that donor eggs cannot completely eliminate the effects of reproductive aging,” Dr. Beatrice Crestani explained
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NEED TO KNOW
- A recent study revealed the exact age in which a woman’s chances of successfully undergoing fertility treatment declines exponentially due to reproductive aging
- “These findings should not discourage women from pursuing donor-egg treatment, because success rates remain meaningful even at advanced ages,” said lead researcher Dr. Beatrice Crestani
- British journalist Sharon Marshall also opened up about the difficult journey that led to her welcoming her daughter Betsey at age 46
Experts have identified the age at which women’s chances of successful fertility treatment begin to decline exponentially.
According to the BBC, a new study presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) determined that women who are 49 and older begin to experience double the risk of miscarriage in addition to having a harder time getting pregnant.
After studying 1,774 women as part of her research, lead researcher Dr. Beatrice Crestani determined that, while it was once believed that donor eggs could fully “reset” a woman’s reproductive clock, “the picture is more complex.”
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Compared to a woman in her mid-to-late 30s, who has around a 54% chance of getting pregnant with donor eggs and IVF treatment, a woman over the age of 49 only has around a 43% chance of success, per the study.
Live birth rates also decline from 46% to 32%, while miscarriage rates increase from 24% to 28%.
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“These findings should not discourage women from pursuing donor-egg treatment, because success rates remain meaningful even at advanced ages,” Dr. Crestani said, per the BBC.
“However,” she continued, “patients should be counseled that donor eggs cannot completely eliminate the effects of reproductive aging, particularly beyond 49 years.”
In addition to the study suggesting that age-related changes in the womb lining could cause a drop-off in a woman’s chances of successfully undergoing fertility treatment, British journalist Sharon Marshall opened up about the difficult journey that led to her welcoming her daughter Betsey at age 46.
“Looking back, I think I spent most of my 40s really in a state of illness and depression and it was a complete loss of autonomy over my body,” she admitted, per the BBC. “I was going through this process over and over again.”
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“We look at celebrities who have given birth in their late 40s, early 50s and beyond. We celebrate them,” she added. “We don’t know what hell they’ve been through.”
Throughout her six years of IVF attempts, during which she promised herself she would stop trying when she turned 47, Marshall said that she experienced two losses before welcoming her daughter on the seventh round.
“Let’s be honest with women about the difficulties they may face, about how hard it can be to get pregnant when you get older,” she emphasized. “We deserve to know that.”