IVF at 43

[Abi13]

I am 43 and me and my husband are considering IVF for the 1st time. I have had con-current miscarriages and all tests have come back normal, so can only assume its my age thats against me. Just worried about expense and success rate - any ideas?

[Kat9lives]

Hi Abi, I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriages.

Only you can make the decision to go for IVF as it's a long and emotional journey. Have you spoken to your GP/ been referred to a fertility specialist? That's a good place to start. Cost wise, if you dont have children you could get some funding support on the NHS for one or more cycles, depending where you live. Your fertility specialist should be able to advise on that. There are plenty of ladies who go for IVF in their 40s, but I would move quickly if your decide to go ahead as it can take a while to go through all the steps pre IVF. If you do decide to go ahead this forum is great for advice and support.

Best of luck Xx

[DC5867]

Sorry to hear about your miscarriages. I had a very similar situation and it’s very difficult. I could be wrong but I think the cut off age for ivf on the nhs is 40. If so you would only have the option of private treatment which is expensive (I think average around £5k per cycle) but on the upside you will be able to do it immediately, no waiting list and time is important. Success rates vary by clinic but are roughly in the same ball park. At 37 when I had my first cycle I seem to remember it was around 30% chance of a live birth but I know it does drop quickly as you reach 40 so it’s important to move fast. Have you been offered any treatment for recurring miscarriages? Have you had NK cell testing?

[liz35]

Hi. I personally started my ivf journey over fours ago ( I'm 38) and I'm so happy to say after 4 rounds of IVF I now have a 8 month old baby. I have a friend who is older than me and you and just had a baby through IVF. So keep thinking positive.

First step is to go to your GP and get them to refer you to IVF. Costing all comes down to the clinic you go too! Cost can vary. I would say do your research and pick the clinic that has the most success rates with women of all ages. But consider travel distance as you need to attend blood test regularly and get medication and go for scans.

I have my fingers crossed for you! If you ever need more advice as I've been on the journey you are on contact me.

[Hidden]

Sorry to hear about your MCs. There are lots of us on here who are in our 40s and going through similar experiences to you.. I am 42 now and started IVF when I was 41. Ive had three rounds so far and did get a BFP but sadly another MC (although they found lots of non age related reasons why this could have happened).

The cost depends a bit where you are in the country. We are averaging about £6500 a round because when you are older you tend to have higher dose of the drugs so whilst the actual cycle may be about 5k there are lots more drugs than some of the younger people on here.

I have heard that by 45 IVF doesnt dramatically increase your chances of a live birth over trying naturally so thats why lots of clinics use it as a cut off. But all my consultants tell me 42 is no longer 'old' for TTC and there is every chance IVF will be successful.

Have you had any MC blood tests etc? It might be worth doing this in parallel plus AMH levels and I even had an MRI and hysteroscopy just to check everything was in tip top condition to try and get and retain a pregnancy

Any questions shout - and good luck xx

[Cinderella5]

Hi Abi, its a tough decision to under go IVF. Its a pretty rough ride once you get going. Ive been doing IVF since I was 38 years old. We had a decent shot at things with my own eggs. My AMH was 7.19 at the time however after 3 cycles - one of which was a disaster so 2 really we had to face facts that we had to change something and decided to move onto donor eggs. Its not an easy decision but it ups the success rates for us older ladies and we didnt have endless amounts of money to keep tryin my own eggs with not much to show for it. Im now 41 (almost 42) and we are still going. We have had a couple of pregnancies but they didnt stick (I have quite a complicated body it would seem). We chose to have DE treatment abroad as for us it was cheaper. It would be worth doing some research into clinics around you, get their success rates. You can also have a look on HFEA pages for information - I'll stick a link below. Have you been to your GP to start with? They cant refer you for NHS treatment but could probably check you are ovulating wiht bloods and look at yout FSH levels and check your OH sperm is ok. You AMH levels may be a good one to get as this is supposed to be an indicator of ovarian reserve - this you will need to get done privately. If you have any questions then Im happy to help.xx

hfea.gov.uk/treatments/expl...

[SharlyWarly]

Hi, just to add a little..I would also say get your AMH done. You can get it done privately for around £100-£150 or you can do a home testing kit. However, be aware that AMH levels can fluctuate so don't take it as the be-all-and-end-all. You can also get your partner to do a sperm quality/quantity test, he can also do a home test kit. I would do the AMH and the sperm testing before I even got to a (private) IVF consultation if I were you as the consultation alone will probably cost £150-£200 and it would give you a rough idea of whether IVF will be a long or short process for you, though there are other factors involved of course. I am 42 and doing IVF, and there are many of us around this age and older! Check online whether your area offers any IVF on the NHS, it is post code lottery I'm afraid.

[Kyell2]

I think your first steps need to be to do the initial tests and see where you stand. My OH bought one of those sperm tests at home with disastrous results that left him in a complete sense of panic.

We then booked a couples fertility MOT which only cost £250 and tested my AMH and did a scan of me and he had a proper sperm test. This was really helpful. Not good news but helpful.

Everything in the fertility game is expensive if you are going private. I think you just need to take the first steps and go from there. Good luck xx

[Kiers27]

Hey Abi ...

I’m also 43 and only just embarked on IVF having had lots of other issues and also a MC.

It’s hard going through the treatment but just take it in stages really ...

Great advice above about having some tests and also book an informal chat at a clinic to elaborate in tmw process and costs ...

I wouldn’t look back now ... but I was unsure to start with too ...

Best of luck and shout if I can help with anything at all xx

[alockie]

Good luck with your treatment. Success rates mainly depend on a clinic. If you want to undergo cheaper and good quality IVF, you might consider clinics in Poland, Ukraine, Czech Rep or Russia.

[Abi13]

Thanks for all your kind words. I actually live in Australia now so NHS is not applicable to us - private or bulk-billed. But you obviously get what you are paying for I guess.

We have had all the tests done - all is normal and we have been with current private fertiity clinic for a number of months now - have had 2 MC whilst with them - hence they have now said IVF is our only chance of having a live birth.

Just so much to think about - the money mainly as its money that should be going on a deposit for a house - we have been renting for 4 yrs now. And what if it does'nt work! Been 2yrs of trying to conceive and its pretty much taken over my life!

[jengi in reply to Abi13]

Hi Abi,

It’s a tough decision. I’m 40 in a few weeks and on the IVF roller coaster. It really feels like a lottery. My fertility body is old with very low ovarian reserve and what’s left is poor quality so after 2 attempts we moved to donor. This has increased our chances from less than 10% to 50% ....it’s like tossing a coin! If we’d transferred two embryos it would up our chances to 65% but increase our chance of twins from 1 to 20%. The science & technology is really amazing and I’m so grateful that we have these opportunities but it’s important to really appreciate the success rates & nothing is guaranteed. There is no certainty but saying that someone has to be the lucky one so why not you! Emotionally, it is a hard journey full of hopes and heartbreak. I hear what you say about it taking over your life. It becomes all consuming.

I’ve a friend who’s just given birth to her little boy at 44, after 3 years of trying naturally & 2 miscarriages. There are a few things you can do to help such as taking DHEA, co-enzyme Q10 & perhaps explore acupuncture too. Keep us posted & we’re here to provide support. This forum has been my lifeline, it’s such a supportive group. Good luck Xx

[Mantaray75]

I know many ladies become pregnant with or without ivf in their 40’s. I’m nearly 44 and had 4 rounds of ivf with my eggs. I had really high amh but it still didn’t work. All I got was one miscarriage. I have unexplained infertility and was told my chances were less than 5%. I now have a 6 month old daughter from my 1st donor egg cycle in Spain. It’s obviously not my first choice but I am grateful every day and can’t imagine her not being here. Tough decisions but you’ll know what feels right for you. X

[Hidden]

Hi Abi13, I just turned 43 and have just started my first round of ivf. No previous miscarriages and my levels were “better than the doctor expected” (not sure what they were) but my partner is 47 and his sperm weren’t great so we were recommended to try ivf as the combination of age and sperm quality my doc said natural chances were very low. I’m doing it in Austria as I live here so have the added stress of language barrier but we will see! Praying everything will be ok and like you desperate for success stories for ivf “at our age”! Btw my sister also did ivf. She is 39 but now 25 weeks. Positive thinking. We can do this!