Why IVF Doesn’t Work for All Women

In vitro fertilization has become a commonplace option at fertility clinics around the world. More insurance companies are covering the cost and more women are banking on the treatment as a fertility solution to their own advancing age or other fertility issues. Unfortunately, though, IVF doesn’t work for every woman every time, and can leave many women disappointed and longing to start their families. The IVF process, while having been refined over nearly 40 years since the treatment was first used, is incredibly complicated and delicate; it leaves room for both human error and biological complications. Some common risk factors for a failed IVF procedure are:

• Quality of the egg. As women age, the quality of their eggs begins to decline. By age 40, you’ll have very few viable eggs left, and the quality of the remaining eggs could be poor. If a woman is attempting IVF with her own eggs after age 40, it greatly increases the chance of failure.
• Quality of the embryo. Healthy eggs make healthy embryos, and the healthiest embryos give the best chances for success. Likewise, if you are using eggs from an older mother for an IVF treatment, the chances of failure increase.
• Implantation factors. Things need to be just right for the embryo transfer to be a success. Older women may have more problems with their body responding to the IVF medications which are giving to stimulate your body into becoming the perfect home for your baby.

While some of these factors are simply out of anyone’s control, they are something to consider when you explore the IVF option. There are IVF alternatives that eliminate many of these risk factors, however, including embryo adoption. When you adopt embryos, your own age is much smaller factor in the success of the pregnancy. And while the implantation risks are still present, many studies show that implantation success rates are actually higher with embryo adoption. It could be the affordable family building option that many women who have waited to start their families need. You can learn more about embryo adoption and IVF alternatives at www.embryoadoption.org.

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