(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In vitro fertilization (IVF) may be a good option
for younger women but not for women over 40, new research shows.
A New England Journal of Medicine study shows among women younger than 35,
between 65 and 86 percent of those who underwent IVF gave birth to a live baby.
On the other hand, only between 23 and 42 percent of women older than 40 had a
successful birth after IVF. The study also shows the rate of live births after
IVF decreased as age increased.
The more than 6,000 study participants underwent both fresh and frozen IVF
cycles. This was the first IVF study to include success rates surrounding the
transfer of frozen embryos.
"Our goal was to calculate a meaningful cumulative live-birth rate to answer a
couple's primary question -- what is the chance that IVF will result in a baby?"
study authors wrote. "These age-specific optimistic and conservative cumulative
live-birth rates can facilitate individualized counseling in a large population
of patients considering IVF treatment."
SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine, 2008;360:236-243
