{"id":21916,"date":"2024-03-15T20:29:06","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T19:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=21916"},"modified":"2024-03-15T20:39:51","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T19:39:51","slug":"ivf-after-menopause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/ivf-after-menopause\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Undergo IVF After Menopause?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting pregnant is not always as straightforward as it may seem. However, advancements in fertility technology have given people more options when it comes to reproduction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>World Health Organization<\/span><\/a> (WHO), about one in six people experience infertility globally. These people greatly benefit from services like in-vitro fertilization (IVF). It\u2019s also more common these days for people to wait until they\u2019re older to have children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, is there such a thing as too late when it comes to IVF? Can people who have reached menopause still use IVF? It\u2019s time to find out!<\/span><\/p>\n

About IVF<\/h2>\n

Before we explore the question of the day, let\u2019s have an IVF refresher. IVF, or <\/span>in-vitro fertilization<\/span><\/a>, is an assisted reproductive technology (ART), a fairly complex one at that.<\/span><\/p>\n

IVF takes an average of four to six weeks, but many people have to undergo several cycles. It involves using hormones to stimulate egg maturation before they are retrieved, fertilized, and transferred.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a summary of the main steps of IVF:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Estrogen or birth control pills are often used first to help regulate the timing of your menstrual cycle.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Ovarian stimulation injectable hormones are taken for eight to fourteen days to help encourage egg maturation. Your progress is monitored through ultrasounds and blood tests.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. The egg retrieval is typically done under mild anesthesia, 36 hours after your final hormone injection known as the \u201ctrigger shot\u201d. Your provider guides a thin needle into your ovaries via your vagina. There is a suction device connected to the needle that pulls the eggs out of each follicle.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. After retrieval, your fertility specialist will attempt to fertilize all the mature eggs that have been collected. This can be done with your partner\u2019s sperm or sperm from a donor. An average of 70% of mature eggs that have been collected will fertilize and become an embryo.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Embryos will develop over the next five to six days, with about 50% developing to the blastocyst stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Embryo transfer is done using fresh (three to seven days after egg retrieval) or frozen embryos. Frozen embryo transfers are more likely to be successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. A successful embryo transfer results in pregnancy and hopefully a live birth.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    About <\/span>5%<\/span><\/a> of people experiencing infertility will use IVF. People may also use it if they are queer, hoping to have a baby without a partner, or even after their normal fertility window has closed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"what<\/p>\n

    Is IVF possible after menopause?<\/h2>\n

    The short answer is yes, IVF is possible after menopause, and there have been a number of women who have done it successfully. The caveat is that they are not able to use their own eggs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Once someone reaches menopause, they typically have less than 1,000 eggs left. Because of this, they\u2019ll have to use frozen donor eggs, meaning they\u2019ll skip the first three steps of the IVF process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Donor eggs can come from someone they know, like a friend or family member. They may also be sourced from an egg donor program. You can be connected to egg donor programs through your fertility clinic. Sperm can come from your partner or from a donor as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    If all goes well and you\u2019re able to obtain healthy embryos, then you can proceed with the embryo transfer and possible pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Why people undergo IVF after menopause<\/h2>\n

    IVF is an expensive procedure and can take multiple rounds before a successful pregnancy. So, why would someone wait to try it until after menopause?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here are just a few of the many potential reasons:<\/span><\/p>\n