IVF at 42 ?

[Lifesforloving1]

Hello !
Doing some research for a friend, she is 42 about to have her first round of ivf after finding out she has a blocked tube….. what is the success rates at this age ? This will be her first & only round of IVF.

Going to be honest here and say Unfortunately it's not great (although I'm sure lots will be along who say they had success with first round and first transfer) - she's right on the age range (43) after which success rates are only around 2-3% which isn't much better than trying naturally. (Only around 10% or less eggs are expected to be chromosomally normal) Also depends on the individual clinic - some have better success rates for older women. Most clinics won't treat women with their own eggs over age 42. Sorry if that's pretty depressing but it's best to go into this being as realistic as possible (took me 5 rounds of IVF age 36-37)

I will have to agree with @tiggerwhocamefortea

Is she doing it alone (using a sperm donor) or with a partner? The quality of the sperm is important in this discussion too.

If I were her, I'd get some information on donor eggs (is she comfortable with this idea?), or look into embryo donation.

I'm sorry I also don't want to come across as negative but the stats get really more and more rubbish as we age.

I was 39 also with a blocked tube and did IVF with own eggs (I had a good clinical picture - AMH and ovarian reserve) but had used a sperm donor (so quality of sperm was exceptionally high). I was extremely lucky and conceived the first time - even managing to have embryos to freeze
My chances were quoted to be less than 30% (over 70% failure rate if you look at it this way). I was very very lucky.

Is she using donor eggs? If she is I think the success rate could be ok but others will probably know more accurately

@CycleGirl20
@anthurium
@tiggerwhocamefortea
Thankyou all, no she’s not using donor eggs.
She is planning on having just the one round of ivf due to the cost of it ect ….
Thankyou all.

Hi @Lifesforloving1 I am 42 and using going into my third cycle of IVF. My first two rounds were at 41. I got a good number of eggs and a decent number of high-quality blastocysts but four transfers resulted in three negative pregnancy tests and one chemical pregnancy (so I did become pregnant but lost it soon after). If your friend is going into it to do one round only, then unfortunately the odds are really against her - because of age, and also because the first round is often a bit of trial and error to get the right protocol.

If she has her heart set on giving it a go, then a round might help give closure. But, realistically, several rounds are needed for the majority of people (at any age) to get a result, and although you can intellectually understand the low odds going in to the process, I can tell you from experience that knowing the information doesn't make it hurt any less if you're not successful. I don't want to sound negative as I obviously wouldn't be doing it myself if I didn't have some hope! It may be an idea for her to have some basic factors tested like AMH and FSH to get a better idea of her fertility baseline.

@lucymills1234
Wow good luck to you !! You’ve been through a lot.
Thank-you for that information, my friend has chosen to do one round as she has to pay for it.

I'm 42 and just finished (unsuccessfully) IVF. The odds aren't good at this age but I think emotionally if she is just wanting to try so she has no regrets .... then fair enough, but I think it's important to be realistic.

Hi,
Just wanted to say i had my first fresh ivf cycle at 36 nearly 37 and fell pregnant first time. I had my second fresh cycle at 39 and fell pregnant again... Both times my own eggs. I'm going for number 3 now at 41 and am going in positive! Miracles can and do happen. I wish her the best of luck xx

@firefly37

Hi, Just wanted to say i had my first fresh ivf cycle at 36 nearly 37 and fell pregnant first time. I had my second fresh cycle at 39 and fell pregnant again... Both times my own eggs. I'm going for number 3 now at 41 and am going in positive! Miracles can and do happen. I wish her the best of luck xx

@firefly37

That's very encouraging news for the women on her, it's just so tough ...there' no rhyme or reason..

Do you mind me asking if you used a sperm donor? I'm convinced (no proof of course) that this is the reason I was also successful the first time aged 39

@anthurium.. No donor, had my DP but he was diagnosed with low motility and teratozoospermia... We had ICSI with no issues and our babies are perfect. His sperm is now completely normal (lab actually said it was excellent)! I fed us both vitamins for 3 months to make the best of this cycle and they have had a great affect so far for both of us x