This is a continuation of the series discussing pregnancy options for women considering tubal ligation reversal or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
This series of articles has been written by Dr. Charles Monteith and Dr. Gary Berger, the tubal reversal doctors at A Personal Choice.
We continue with these blog articles to cover all topics related to regaining fertility after tubal ligation. We want our patients to be well educated so they can make informed decisions about their options when they want more children after having their tubes tied.
IVF Using Donor or Nondonor Eggs
This article examines pregnancy rates obtained with IVF when women use their own (nondonor) eggs vs using donor eggs.
Effect of Age on Pregnancy Rates after IVF
IVF can be a beneficial treatment for infertility in women of older ages. In most cases, however, donor eggs must be used to obtain high pregnancy rates provided by IVF.
The graphs shown in this series come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 2006 National Summary and Fertility Clinic Reports Study. The CDC monitors assisted reproductive outcomes on a yearly basis across the United States and keeps extensive statistics on IVF outcomes. The following graph shows pregnancy rates by age among IVF patients in the US using nondonor eggs (patient’s own eggs).
IVF Pregnancy Rates Decrease With Age
“Pregnancy” is defined as any developing embryo seen in the uterus with ultrasound in the first trimester.
“Live birth” is the birth of any child that survives and includes multiples and preterm births.
“Singleton live birth” is the birth of any singleton infant which survives (term or preterm).
The Bottom Line
As women get older, IVF pregnancy and live birth rates using nondonor eggs decline. At age 40, the live birth rate is 16%. By age 44, the live birth rate after IVF with nondonor eggs is less that 1%.
Higher IVF Pregnancy Rates When Using Donor Eggs
IVF success rates among women of all ages are higher when donor eggs (eggs from another woman younger than 30) are used (squares). The average live birth rate among all ages when using donor eggs is around 50%.
The live birth rate when nondonor eggs (patient’s own eggs) are used (circles) begins to decrease gradually between 30-35 years of age and decreases more sharply after the mid-30s. By age 42, the IVF live birth rate using non donor eggs is about 8% and by 44 is only about 0.8%. As a result, many IVF providers will encourage older women to consider donor eggs when undergoing IVF treatments. Some infertility specialists encourage donor egg usage in patients as young as 40 and some will encourage donor egg use starting between the age of 42-43.
Tubal Reversal Surgery or IVF?
We have previously published discussions on our experience with:
Pregnancy success rates of tubal ligation reversal and on
Pregnancy rates after repair of damaged fallopian tubes
Sterilization reversal procedures provide comparable and, in many cases, superior pregnancy rates when compared with IVF.
Readers are encouraged to view the entire series of articles on tubal reversal in older women. The first article of this series is Tubal Ligation Reversal After the Age Of 40| Introduction.
The next article, Does Tubal Reversal Work?, will provide a comprehensive overview of the success of tubal reversal and directly compare rates of pregnancy success after reversal to rates of pregnancy success with IVF when using both nondonor and donor eggs.
Personal Stories About Tubal Reversal
Many personal stories about having a tubal reversal can be found on our Tubal Reversal Blog.
