While fertility naturally declines with age, many women continue to conceive and build their families in their forties. At Genus Fertility, we provide personalised assessment, realistic advice and evidence-based treatment options to help you understand your fertility and explore the options available to you.
While fertility naturally declines with age, many women continue to conceive and build their families in their forties. At Genus Fertility, we provide personalised assessment, realistic advice and evidence-based treatment options to help you understand your fertility and explore the options available to you.
Female fertility gradually declines with age due to both a reduction in the number of eggs remaining in the ovaries and a decline in egg quality. This process typically begins in the mid-thirties and becomes more pronounced from age 40 onwards.
As women enter their forties, there is a greater reduction in ovarian reserve, a higher proportion of chromosomally abnormal eggs and an increased risk of miscarriage. These factors contribute to lower natural conception rates and reduced success rates with fertility treatment compared with younger age groups.
However, age alone does not determine fertility potential. Some women retain a good ovarian reserve and achieve successful pregnancies using their own eggs, whilst others may benefit from alternative treatment approaches.
A fertility assessment, including ultrasound scanning and ovarian reserve testing, can provide valuable information about your individual fertility profile and help guide treatment recommendations.
The likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities within embryos increases with maternal age. For this reason, Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) may be discussed as part of your treatment planning.
PGT-A involves testing embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before transfer. Whilst PGT-A cannot improve embryo quality, create healthy embryos or increase the number of embryos available for transfer, it may help identify embryos with the correct number of chromosomes and assist embryo selection in selected patients.
Current evidence suggests that PGT-A does not increase the overall live birth rate per IVF cycle started. However, by reducing the likelihood of transferring an embryo with chromosomal abnormalities, it may reduce the risk of miscarriage and shorten the time taken to achieve a successful pregnancy for some patients.
Whether PGT-A is appropriate depends on your individual circumstances, and the potential benefits and limitations will be discussed in detail during your consultation.
For many women, IVF offers the greatest chance of success because it allows multiple eggs to be recruited and assessed within a single treatment cycle.
While IVF cannot reverse the effects of age on egg quality, it increases the opportunity to identify an embryo with the potential to result in a healthy pregnancy.
For some women, fertility assessment demonstrates a reasonable chance of success using their own eggs. For others, the likelihood of success may be significantly lower due to diminished ovarian reserve or age-related changes in egg quality.
In these circumstances, it is important to have an open and honest discussion about the realistic chances of success with treatment.
IVF treatment with donor eggs may be considered where success rates using your own eggs are expected to be very low. Donor egg treatment offers some of the highest success rates available in reproductive medicine and can be an effective option for women who are unlikely to achieve pregnancy using their own eggs.
Choosing the right treatment pathway is a deeply personal decision. Our role is to provide clear, evidence-based advice whilst helping you understand the realistic chances of success associated with each option.
Following the assessment, our fertility specialists will discuss your individual fertility profile, the available treatment options, and the likely outcomes of each approach, enabling you to make informed decisions about your future family-building journey.
How successful is fertility treatment over 40?
Success rates vary considerably and depend on factors including age, ovarian reserve, embryo quality, sperm parameters and overall reproductive health.
While fertility treatment success rates decline with age, women over 40 still achieve successful pregnancies. Following your fertility assessment, we will discuss your individual prognosis and the treatment options most likely to maximise your chance of success.
Can I still use my own eggs after 40?
Many women over 40 are able to undergo fertility treatment using their own eggs. However, both egg quantity and egg quality naturally decline with age, meaning success rates vary significantly between individuals.
A fertility assessment, including ultrasound scanning and ovarian reserve testing, can help determine whether treatment using your own eggs is likely to be successful and whether alternative options should be considered.
At what age should donor eggs be considered?
There is no specific age at which donor eggs become necessary. The decision depends on a number of factors, including ovarian reserve, previous fertility treatment outcomes and your individual chances of success using your own eggs.
For some women, IVF with their own eggs remains a realistic option. For others, donor egg treatment may offer a substantially higher chance of achieving a successful pregnancy. We will discuss these options openly and honestly following your fertility assessment.
Can you help me access donor eggs or sperm?
Yes. We can arrange treatment using donor eggs or donor sperm from our partnered donor banks.
Our team will explain the treatment process, legal requirements, screening tests and practical considerations, helping you make an informed decision about the options available to you.
Should I have my fertility assessed if I am over 40?
If you are trying to conceive and are over 40, we would generally recommend seeking fertility advice sooner rather than later.
Early assessment can help identify any factors affecting fertility and ensure that the most appropriate treatment options are considered without unnecessary delay.
A fertility assessment typically includes a consultation, ultrasound scan and ovarian reserve testing, providing valuable information about your fertility potential and treatment options.