Advanced Maternal Age Pregnancy

Families can start, or continue to grow, at many stages in a woman’s life. For women that are over 40 it’s not too late to get pregnant, but it is time to start planning.

As women get older their egg quality and quantity diminishes, making it more difficult to get pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term. Also, there are increased health risks associated with later pregnancies over the age of 55.

Dr. Mark Rispler and Dr. Joshua J. Berger will do everything they can to bring a baby into your life, no matter what your age. After an evaluation of your health and fertility condition, your doctor will be able to discuss all of your options, from minimally invasive medical treatments to alternative pregnancy arrangements.

A Healthy Nudge to Conception with Ovulation Induction

Women who are having a difficult time conceiving because of their age or other fertility issues, are often helped by medications that trigger ovulation. This is effective because conception is all about timing. Knowing exactly when ovulation occurs helps plan the best time to introduce the sperm – naturally or through artificial insemination – for the highest chance of success.

Helping Mother Nature along with Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

During natural conception, millions of sperm enter through the woman’s vaginal canal while only a handful make it all the way up to the fallopian tubes to meet the egg. With the IUI procedure, a hand-selected group of high quality sperm are washed and then directly inserted into the woman’s uterus during ovulation. Since several obstacles are taken out of the sperm’s way, this procedure can greatly increase the chances for successful conception.

From the Lab to Your Heart with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

When couples have difficulty conceiving naturally, the conception process can often be accomplished in the lab. Egg and sperm are introduced in a petri dish to form an embryo. This embryo can then be transferred back into the woman’s uterus to carry on the rest of the pregnancy naturally. For some women over the age of 40, egg quality and quantity aren’t sufficient to produce a pregnancy, even using IVF. In these cases, using donor eggs is recommended. (See below.)

Considering all of Your Options

Even though there are many treatment options for enhancing fertility, the truth is that not all women over 40 will be able to have a successful “natural” pregnancy. For these women, it’s important to remember that there are still options to grow a healthy, happy family.

The Gift of Donor Eggs

Some women over 40 don’t have the egg quality or quantity for successful fertilization. Donor eggs might be a good option for women that would still like to carry a pregnancy to term. In this situation, a donor with healthy eggs has an egg retrieval procedure. Her eggs are then combined with the selected sperm to create an embryo through the IVF process. The embryo is then transferred back  into the recipient woman’s uterus to carry the pregnancy.

Sharing the Miracle of Life through Surrogacy

Learning that you can’t carry a pregnancy can be difficult to hear. It’s important to remember, however, that babies can come to us in many different ways. Surrogates are women that agree to carry a pregnancy to term for another woman or couple. In these cases, an embryo is created in the lab through the IVF process using a selected egg and sperm. The embryo is then implanted into the surrogate who enters into an agreement with the recipient parents. Once the baby is born, the parents take their baby home.

If you’re over the age of 40 and considering pregnancy, now is the time to get informed. Please contact us to schedule an appointment so you can learn what the best options for your situation are.