Why More Women Over 40 Are Having Babies

According to a 2018 Pew Research Center Study, a majority of single women in their 40s are giving birth to at least one child by the time they reach 44. Look: Given the social and cultural shifts being experienced in America today, more women will be postponing childbearing into their 40s. Today, 55 percent of single women in their 40s have a child. Two decades ago, only 31 percent of women in their 40s gave birth. Why is this important? Because more women are having children later in life, they will face fertility challenges when trying to get pregnant and should consider IVF.

Women Over 40 Having Babies

Because women are increasingly delaying motherhood into their late 30s and early 40s, they are typically placed on the fast-track to Mini-IVF™ Treatment. IVF is the First-Time, Go-To plan for achieving a successful pregnancy for women between the ages of 38 and 42.

IVF as a First-Time GoTo Treatment Option

Most women are waiting to plan their family later in life because they are more secure in their career and finances than their 20-something counterparts. Time is of the essence. Moving quickly past traditional first-line treatment options – such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) – and going straight to IVF has been proven to increase an older woman’s chances of conceiving faster.

Recent IVF Research

In the case of older couples – between 38 and 42 – with unexplained infertility, a recent study favored going straight to IVF treatment.

• IVF is the most cost-efficient treatment
• IVF results in fewer treatment cycles
• IVF results in less multiple pregnancies
• IVF results in higher live birth rates

Researchers have found that older women were more than twice as likely to become pregnant through IVF within the first two cycles of treatment.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded IVF Study

A randomized clinical study by NIH analyzed 154 couples who had been trying to get pregnant for six months before seeking infertility treatment.

The female study criteria included:

• Between the ages of 38 and 42
• Regular menstrual cycles
• At least one functioning ovary
• At least one open Fallopian tube
• Acceptable ovarian reserve
• No reproductive organ disorders
• No history of ectopic pregnancy

The couples were randomly assigned to one of three groups:

• IVF using injectable fertility medications to stimulate egg production
• IUI using oral fertility medication to stimulate egg production
• IUI using injectable fertility medications to stimulate egg production

Within two cycles of treatment, here’s the deal:

• 49 percent of the IVF patients became pregnant and 31 percent gave birth!
• Only 22 percent of IUI patients using oral medication became pregnant
• Only 16 percent of IUI patients using oral medications gave birth
• Only 17 percent of IUI patients using injectable medications became pregnant
• Only 14 percent of IUI patients using injectable medications gave birth

What happened to those patients who failed IUI and went on to IVF treatment?

• 71 percent experienced a clinical pregnancy through IVF treatment
• 46 percent gave birth to a healthy baby through IVF treatment

Statistics from this study prove IVF is the preferred first-time treatment protocol for older women.

• 84 percent – a clear majority – of women gave live birth through IVF
• An average of only two IVF cycles were needed for these woman to conceive
• Those women who underwent IUI before IVF took an average of three to four IVF cycles to conceive

How Mini-IVF™ Helps Women Over 40 Get Pregnant

Customized care is an infertility treatment plan designed specific to the individual patient’s medical and personal needs. This is not a one-size fits all approach. Our holistic Mini-IVF™ protocol is safe because it lowers the health risks associated with high dosages of fertility medications used in Conventional IVF treatments. Our fertility specialists focus their holistic IVF treatment protocols on producing 3 to 5 high quality eggs in a single cycle – not multiple, low quality eggs.

Fertility Doctor Specializing in IVF for Women Over 40

To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang at New Hope Fertility Center – call 917.525.5496.