IVF with own egg at age of 47

If a woman is 47 and her eggs are perfect, can she get IVF without an egg donor? What is the cost?

Our Expert's Answer

This information was published 6 years, 11 months ago and was correct at the time of publication. It may not reflect our current practices or regulations.

Please note that all the answers we give are on a generic basis only, as we cannot provide more in-depth answers without access to your medical history. If you need a more detailed response, tailored to you, we would recommend a consultation with one of our Fertility Specialists for more comprehensive medical advice.

Women with a reasonable ovarian egg reserve can have IVF treatment at 47 years of age and she may respond to stimulation. The issue is with the egg quality. Women have “perfect” eggs below the age 30, but then egg quality starts to decline, which explains declining fertility.

Over the age of 45, almost all the eggs which fertilise will create chromosomally abnormal embryos and therefore the chance of healthy, ongoing pregnancy is close to zero.

The high rate of chromosomal abnormality also means that there could be a very high risk of miscarriage or ongoing pregnancy with abnormalities such as Down syndrome (risk of a baby with Down Syndrome at term without screening is 1:30 (compared to 1:85 at age 40)). Women who are over the age of 45 is generally considered to be unethical to offer IVF treatment by fertility clinics.

We would be very happy to see you to discuss your particular situation where we would also be pleased to offer our counselling support as well.