What are the donor egg success rates in women over 40?

Hey, I’m 40 and after testing my hormones I got a FSH level around 50. My doctor thinks unfortunately I don’t have chances of getting pregnant because I’m closer to menopause… I’ve been given this news today and I’m shattered. The thing is I got pregnant last July, but I miscarried when I was 8 weeks pregnant. I also ovulated last December. Do you think I have no chance? Or do you think I may get pregnant if I continue trying to conceive naturally? My doctor has recommended me to move to donor eggs, but I’m not sure… donor embryos might be a possibility too, but maybe donor eggs are better because my husband could contribute his sperms, couldn’t he?

Dear Lina,

Obtaining an FSH result indicating that value is a sign of low ovarian reserve as your doctor told you. Even though you still have periods, the eggs that are being released are of poor quality, which translate into trouble conceiving. In these cases, while it is true that some people try to get pregnant naturally, it is rather difficult. That’s why using donor eggs is advisable in these cases, given that they have been donated by young, healthy women.

As for choosing between egg donation and embryo donation, the truth is it is a very personal decision. The main advantage of using donated embryos is that recipients do not have to look for a donor that matches their preferences and then synchronize their cycle with the donor’s. Embryo adoption only requires the preparation of the endometrium. Besides, another advantage of embryo adoption is that you know in beforehand what is the quality of the embryos you are going to use.

However, with donor eggs, your child will have the genetic material of your partner, while in the case of embryo adoption, the genetic material of the baby-to-be will be neither yours nor his. Apart from that, you should take into account that embryo adoption is not as expensive as egg donation. On the other hand, success rates using donor eggs are usually higher than those obtained with embryo adoption.

Anyhow, as I said earlier, it is a personal decision in which I recommend you to take into account the pros and cons of both treatments.

If you finally decide to undergo IVF with donor eggs, my advice is that you use our Calculator to get detailed estimates from different fertility clinics according to your own personal situation. Just follow this link: Cost estimate for egg donation.

Hope this helps,

Regards