The effect of the age of the recipients on pregnancy rates following donor-oocyte replacement.

PURPOSE

Besides waning ovarian function with advancing age, the question of a uterine senescence factor has been proposed as a cause of decreased fecundity. The replacement of oocytes from younger donors into older recipients allows further investigation into the aging endometrium.

RESULTS

The pregnancy rate was considerably lower, 8.5% in recipients in ovarian failure who were > or = 40 years old (n = 23) compared to younger recipients, < 40 years of age (n = 55), who were also in ovarian failure, which would support the uterine senescence theory.

CONCLUSION

The endometrial factor may be manifested by failure to generate a critical endometrial thickness of 10 mm by sonography in 61% of the older group, compared to only 29% of the younger group. Future studies should address methods of improving the endometrial thickness in the older group, to determine if improved pregnancy rates will occur and to evaluate whether increasing luteal support with extra progesterone may also improve pregnancy rates.