Are you at your 50 and wanting to know if you could yet become pregnant with IVF? This article can help.
This article discusses if age 50 is too old for IVF, factors that affect pregnancy potential with aging, and how a woman at her 50 can still conceive with IVF.
Is Age 50 Too Old for IVF?
It is very certain that women tend to have a gradual decline in their fertility with aging that affect their chances of conceiving either naturally through sexual intercourse or with assisted reproductive technologies (ACTs) such as intauterine insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Though women over 50 are not considered a good candidate for IVF or any other clinical pregnancy treatment, women of any age with healthy eggs or embryos and a healthy reproductive function can still become pregnant with IVF, by choosing the best IVF centre in Jammu.
IVF is a clinical procedure that assists conception by stimulating ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs, fertilizing the egg by the intended father’s sperm outside the women’s body in a lab, and implanting the embryo (the fertilized egg) right around the uterine lining where it attaches and induce pregnancy. But, to make it happen, endocrinologists require healthy mature eggs for fertilization and a healthy uterus to sustain the pregnancy.
What Affects Pregnancy Changes with Aging?
There are certain factors that affect a woman’s potential of becoming pregnant and sustaining a pregnancy with aging. These factors are:
Ovarian egg reserve
As women age, they start to have a gradual decline in their ovarian egg reserve. This decline continues to rise as women age and there comes a time when the woman’s ovarian follicles stop to produce any mature eggs.
Egg quality
As women age, they do not only have a decline in their egg reserve, they have a decrease in their egg quality as well. For healthy fertilization, it is very important that only the healthiest egg and sperm are used for fertilization during IVF. A poor egg will eventually lead to a failed pregnancy or result in a miscarriage even if the embryo created pregnancy at first.
Higher risk of infertility disorders
As women age, they are also at a higher risk of developing infertility disorders such as blockage in the fallopian tubes, endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). These disorders may affect a woman’s chances of creating and sustaining a healthy pregnancy drastically.
Menopause
As women age, they start to have less frequent menstrual cycles and around in 40s, most women attain menopause where they stop to have anymore periods and ovulation cycles. Ovaries follicles stop to produce anymore mature eggs and women are left with no healthy eggs for fertilization.
How to Conceive with IVF in Age 50?
You want to conceive and have a baby at your 50? The foremost thing you need to make certain is that you have chosen a good IVF centre in Gurgaon for your treatment. It is foremost because until you do not have a fertility doctor who is experienced enough to address your fertile condition and perform the treatment accordingly, you will rarely have any chances of becoming pregnant at your 50.
Choose a fertility doctor who tailors the treatment depending on your fertile and reproductive condition. If you want to become pregnant at your 50 with IVF, there are a few ways that can work out.
Donor eggs or embryos
When you are 50 and still want to conceive with IVF, choosing donor eggs or embryos for fertilization is the best you can do. It is very obvious that aging causes a significant decline in the egg reserve and quality, increasing chances of a failed pregnancy. Choosing donor eggs or embryos from a young woman can escalate your chances of successful conception with IVF at 50.
Surrogacy
If you have developed some reproductive conditions with aging that may affect your ability to attain and sustain a healthy pregnancy, surrogacy is the best option to have a baby. There are two types of surrogacy: traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy involves fertilizing the surrogate mother’s eggs by the intended father’s sperm through IUI. On the other hand, gestational surrogacy involves fertilising the surrogate mother’s egg by the intended father’s sperm in a lab through IVF. As per your preference, you can choose the type of surrogacy.
The Bottom Line
When you are at your 50, realistically, your chances of conceiving and sustaining a healthy pregnancy are very low. Traditional IVF might not be effective. But there are still options that can help you have a baby such as use of donor eggs or embryos for fertilization or surrogacy. You can still have a child of your own by finding a good fertility clinic such as Grace Fertility and discussing your condition and what you expect from your pregnancy treatment.
