In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment options for couples who cannot achieve and/or maintain a successful pregnancy, therefore, need medical assistance. There are various types of fertility treatments depending on whether the couple uses their own egg and sperm cells or require the use of an egg or a sperm donor. Patients in older age brackets have a few alternative options when it comes to a successful IVF treatment. North Cyprus IVF Center is one of the few clinics in the world offering flexible and customizable treatment options for patients based on their specific needs. Due to favorable laws in North Cyprus, our ISO certified and award-winning clinic can quickly adopt new technologies and new treatment methods as they become available while many other clinics may not be able to offer such treatments to their patients due to increase bureaucracy or very high costs of adopting these technologies. At North Cyprus IVF, we are happy to announce that we are one of the few clinics that can offer various options for patients in older age brackets, thus offering high IVF success.
IVF over 45 or even over 50 is possible. However, there are a few considerations that need to be made when offering treatment to women older than 45 years of age. It should be kept in mind that your overall health and well-being is our top priority and we would not be comfortable with offering any treatment that may put your own health at risk. Therefore, before proceeding with treatment, we ask that you have a standard health screening to make sure that you are fit for pregnancy. This screening would include a blood glucose and bloos pressure checks as well as other routine screenings such as complete blood count and liver/kidney function tests. Once we make sure that there are no problems to proceed, we will be able to design the most suitable treatment option for you.
It should be kept in mind that over 45 years of age, your ovarian reserves have highly depleted and the quality of any remaining reserves have been highly compromised. While it may still be possible to obtain and maintain a healthy pregnancy in such age brackets, it is very challenging and requires a careful treatment planning. In 45+ IVF patients, there are two groups of women; women who would like to be pregnant using their own eggs, and women who would like to use donor eggs for a successful pregnancy. Procedures will be different in both cases:
1- Women over 45 who would like to use their own eggs for pregnancy: In this group, the most important step is to make an assessment of the level of fertility. This assessment is made by hormone testing. In this age bracket, the standard FSH/LH testing may not produce accurate results, therefore, on top of the FSH/LH tests, we specifically ask for the Anti-Mullerian Hormne (AMH) test so that we can make an assessment of the ovarian reserves and proceed with treatment planning accordingly. Once we have made an assessment, we will be able to decide whether you have any oocytes in your reserves that can be recruited for ovulation. If there are, then we will be able to offer you a customized treatment program that will aim to maximize your chances of a successful outcome. For instance, if you have an acceptable level of ovarian reserves, but the quality may have been compromised due to oocyte aging, then Mini IVF or IVF with Cytoplasmic Transfer can be ideal treatment types for you. In highly depleted ovarian reserves with compromised oocyte quality, Mini IVF is not recommended but IVF with Cytoplasmic Transfer would still be an option.
2- Women over 45 who would like to use donor eggs for pregnancy: Treatment is much less complicated in this group of women. Since eggs from a young and healthy egg donor are used, pregnancy rates are much higher. Our egg donation program is an exceptional program with exceptionally high success rates due to a number of reasons, which are explained in a previous blog article by Dr. Savas Ozyigit himself. Women seeking IVF treatment with donor eggs would need to undergo the health screening mentioned above as well as a trans-vaginal ultrasound scan to make sure there are no visible problems that can interfere with a successful pregnancy. Hormone testing for ovarian assessment will not be necessary as ovulation induction will not be performed. Please see our donor egg IVF treatment section for more information on this treatment program.
Regardless of whether you are planning on using your own eggs or donor eggs for IVF treatment, a careful assessment and a careful planning are the key factors behind a successful IVF outcome. Feel free to contact our clinic for more information on treatments.
