THE AGE OF FATHER PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN IVF ACCORDING TO BRITISH SCIENTISTS

Not only the age of the mother, but also the father’s age, plays a vital role in the success of an IVF treatment. A new British scientific study shows that the success rate of assisted reproduction is significantly reduced if the father is over 51 years old.

Previous studies have shown that sperm quality is getting worse over time and that genetic damage to sperm may increase. As the man ages, male fertility decreases and the chance for a miscarriage in case of a natural conception is increasing. New research shows that there are effects from the age of the man in the case of IVF as well.

The research, led by Dr. Gary Morris of the Reproductive and Genetic Health Center in London, who made the relevant announcement at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Vienna (ESHRE 2019), analyzed data from 4,271 men who participated in 4,833 cycles of assisted reproduction treatments between 2009-2018.

It was found, in principle, as expected, that the rate that an IVF results in pregnancy decreases according to maternal age, from 51% for women under 35, to 22% for those over 40 years old. Similarly, however, it happens with the age of the father, with the rate of successful IVF reduction decreasing from 50% for men up to 35 years of age, 42.5% for ages 36-40, 35.2% for ages 41-45 , 32.8% for ages 46-50 and 30.5% for over 50 years.

For this reason, some fertility clinics set a limit to the age of sperm donors, usually up to 40 years.

References:

1. APE – MPE
2. https://www.eshre.eu/