The truth about IVF and its 'false promises'

17th April 2013 in Infertility

This information was correct at the time of publishing. It may not reflect our current practices, prices or regulations.

The death of IVF pioneer Sir Robert Edwards sparked a wave of related articles and commentaries, not least from some who said IVF gave them nothing more than expensive, privately-funded ‘false promises’.  

Sadly in some instances, this is not news. Clinics here in the UK and indeed abroad will give a woman IVF, when in fact the truth is that IVF is unlikely to work, largely because of the woman’s age - in one case the woman was 42 - or other medical reasons.

It’s time to tell the truth about IVF success rates. The fact is that the younger you are when you undergo IVF, the higher the chances of success. Here at Manchester Fertility our expert team are highly-specialised in treating older women, which we would class as someone aged 37 or older. 

The reality is that success rates are generally poor once you reach your early 40s and upwards, simply because of egg quality. And although we do offer IVF up to the age of 50, we strongly recommend the use of IVF with donor eggs for this reason. 

As a patient-focused clinic we do listen to your needs, and if having a child with your own eggs is vital, then we will advise you accordingly. But as a ethnical and honest clinic, if you want to attempt it, we feel it’s crucial to make sure you know the hard facts about the likelihood of success first.

We do not put our patients through endless cycles of IVF if we do not think it will work, and nor do we make false promises about your chances of success. It’s why here at Manchester Fertility we do treat so many older women. They trust our expert opinion on what will work best for them and their diagnosis and circumstances. 

Of course there will still be clinics out there who will reassure and say that they can give you a baby, but please ensure that you do your research thoroughly. Some clinics don’t treat many older women because it can cause their overall success rates to drop. So make sure you choose a clinic which is prepared to help you openly and honestly.

If you need help to have a baby, please read our Guide for older womenabout options available.

Last updated: 20th January 2020