Late motherhood is a topic that always generates debate in society and raises doubts and interests. With more sense –if possible– today, given that this type of maternity is valued as the most frequent option among women in our country. In this sense, based on the recommendations of the experts in the field, together with the success rates, it is essential to anticipate the gestational desire, in order to avoid future unforeseen events.
Late motherhood: how age affects treatment success
As a result of the plan recently approved by the Community of Madrid, the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) has spoken and from IVI we want to join its opinion. Age is a factor that fully affects assisted reproduction treatments, so in this sense, the message sent to women should be as unambiguous as possible.
“We know that today many socioeconomic factors influence when considering the specific moment of motherhood. For this reason, at IVI we have been offering different solutions for women for years, regardless of the vital moment in which they make the decision. For us anticipation is key. If during the fertile life we knew all the circumstances that life could bring us, we would surely prepare a plan B. This does not always happen that way, and then we find ourselves with situations that could have been avoided”, explains Dr. Antonio Requena, Medical Director of IVI.
Motherhood options at a later age
From a physiological point of view, the ideal age to be a mother is between 20 and 30 years old. But, as we all know, this does not always happen. In fact, it is becoming more complicated and motherhood is delayed more, based on the pace, trends and social demands that we currently experience. But it is important for women to be aware that fertility decreases progressively over the years, especially beyond 37. The quality of the ovules is a fundamental factor for the proper development of the pregnancy. This, together with the specific diagnosis of each woman, depends largely on the maternal age.
90% of the patients under 35 years of age that we attend to at IVI achieve pregnancy during treatment. In the age range of 36 to 39 years, the percentage of women who become pregnant is 80. Lastly, women over 40 years of age do so, with their own ovules, in 50% of cases.
Faced with this situation, we have various effective alternatives for those women who, due to their circumstances, present difficulties or want to postpone the desire for motherhood. The preservation of fertility, through the vitrification of oocytes, to ensure the highest quality of these, or treatments with egg donation, are some of the best options for this type of patient.
Fertility preservation: an ally in cases of late motherhood
With vitrification, you have the option of using the patient’s own eggs, since they maintain the “biological age” of when they were preserved. In this sense and to ensure its quality, at IVI we recommend preserving it before the age of 36. On the other hand, in the case of egg donation treatments, we have the largest egg bank in the world, allowing practically immediate allocation of gametes.
“Undoubtedly, female age is one of the causes of infertility with the greatest weight in our clinics, so time is key. In addition to offering the highest quality and the most innovative techniques to our patients, there is no waiting list for any treatment, which guarantees high success rates. Our current figures reach 99% in treatments with egg donation and 95% with own eggs, after three attempts in both cases”adds Dr. Requena.
Given the situation we mentioned at the beginning, luckily science has taken giant steps in reproductive medicine. When the time comes, the patient has a multitude of personalized options, providing solutions to all types of cases. From a woman who chooses to preserve her oocytes to postpone motherhood, to another who has difficulty conceiving naturally or who starts with a very low ovarian reserve. But also patients diagnosed with cancer, who preserve fertility prior to undergoing cancer treatment. These are situations that we cannot foresee, but a possible maternity is a compelling reason that makes many women anticipate the circumstances that will come and that they become aware of the importance of planning such an important decision.
A few months ago we chatted, in Episode 1 of our podcast to motherhood in old age. We leave you the video to enjoy the talk between Nuria Roca, presenter of the podcast, the model Ariadne Artiles and Dr. Requena.
