Predictive factors of successful pregnancy after assisted reproductive technology in women aged 40 years and older.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the factors that predict successful pregnancy (live birth) in assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertile women aged 40 and older.

METHODS

Patients who underwent first ART treatments at the age of 40 and older at our institution were enrolled. Several factors which can be evaluated before the first treatments were retrospectively compared among those patients who did and did not achieve live birth.

RESULTS

Nineteen of 119 patients delivered healthy babies. There was no significant difference of live-birth rate among age groups of 40, 41 and 42. No women who underwent the first treatment at age 43 or older achieved live birth. In the successful group, significantly more women held FSH levels under 12 mIU/ml and had regular menstrual cycles (26-32 days) than unsuccessful women of the same age group. In addition, significantly fewer women in the successful group had prior ovarian surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that low FSH levels, regular menstrual cycles and absence of prior ovarian surgery were related to high live-birth rates and they are good prognostic factors in patients between 40 and 42 years of age. On the other hand, none of these parameters were correlated with success in women aged 43 and older.