When to Choose In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) When Postponing Conceiving - The Age-Related Risk of IVF Failure at an Advanced Age

Q: What population and study design were used to assess IVF outcomes by age?

The study was a retrospective, single-center analysis recruiting 3012 patients who received IVF/ICSI from July 2014 to March 2018.

Q: What age-related pattern was found for the live birth rate?

The live birth rate decreased with increasing age, and a turning point of 35.5 (34.5–36.5) was identified on the fitted association curve.

Q: How does the risk of IVF failure change at older ages?

Negative outcomes increased with age in the 35–37 and 37–40 ranges, indicating a more rapid rise in IVF failure risk after the mid-30s.

Sep 29, 2026

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Age-related decline in IVF success and the dilemma of postponing childbearing require clearer guidance for women planning delayed treatment. A retrospective single-center study recruited 3012 patients undergoing IVF/ICSI (July 2014 to March 2018) and analyzed baseline factors in relation to live birth. Live birth rate decreased with age, with 35.5 identified as a turning point. The risk of negative outcomes increased rapidly beyond 35, especially across ages 35–37 and 37–40.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Participant Recruitment

Results

Conclusion

Keywords

Wiley Obstetrics and Gynecology International Volume 2025, Article ID 2407539, 6 pages [https://doi.org/10.1155/ogi/2407539](https://doi.org/10.1155/ogi/2407539) Research Article When to Choose In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) When Postponing Conceiving: The Age-Related Risk of IVF Failure at an Advanced Age Zhiyan Chen , 1 Duoduo Zhang ,2 Zhengyi Sun ,2 Qi Yu ,2 Chenyang Zhao 3 , and ChangZhong Li 1,4,5 1 Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China 2 Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen, China 3 Medical Technology Department, Te Islands Healthcare Complex - Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Macao, China 4 Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shenzhen PKU-HKUST Medical Center, Shenzhen, China 5 Shenzhen Key Laboratory on Technology for Early Diagnosis of Major Gynecologic Diseases, Shenzhen, China Correspondence should be addressed to Chenyang Zhao; [zhaocy_pumch@126.com](zhaocy_pumch@126.com) Received 28 December 2023; Revised 28 December 2023; Accepted 13 November 2025 Academic Editor: Karuna Sharma Copyright © 2025 Zhiyan Chen et al. Obstetrics and Gynecology International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Tis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background: To validate previous age subgrouping methods and provide an optimal age reference for women planning to delay in vitro fertilization (IVF) . Methods: From July 2014 to March 2018, 3012 patients that received IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were continuously recruited in this retrospective, single-center study. We analyzed the relationships of baseline characteristics and IVF outcomes. A smooth ftting curve depicting the association of age and live birth was plotted using the generalized additive model (GAM) method. We also evaluated the association of age and live birth among diferent age groups (> 20, ≤ 35; > 35, ≤ 37; > 37, ≤ 40; and > 40) . Results: Age, duration of infertility, and baseline follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were signifcantly related to the live birthrate. Te adjusted Odd Ratio (OR) value of age was 0.95 (P < 0.001), indicating the higher occurrence of no live birth with age increasing. Te ftting curve showed that the live birth rate decreased with age. And 35.5 (34.5–36.5) was identifed as the infection point of the curve. Te slopes before 35.5 and after 35.5 were signifcantly diferent (0.9 [0.9, 1.0], P < 0.001) . When ≤ 35, live birthrate did not vary with age. For the ages of 35–37 and 37–40, the occurrence of negative outcome increased with age (aOR: 0.73 [0.53, 0.99], 0.80 [0.65, 1.00]; P 􀂈 0.0441, 0.0465, respectively) . Conclusion: Te age of 35 can be referred to as the safe time point when the IVF success rate does not decline with age. And the risk of IVF failure increases rapidly in the period of 35–37 and 37–40 . Keywords: age; fertility; in vitro fertilization (IVF) 1. Background Infertility has become a worldwide health problem, which constitutes the primary cause of population decline in many countries [1] . Female age has been broadly recognized as the main factor that afects the success rate of spontaneous conception [2] . However, with the accelerating development of modern society, recent years have witnessed an increasingly popularized tendency of postponing childbearing. A large number of women have chosen higher education or 2 Obstetrics and Gynecology International profession in their 20s or 30s instead of motherhood [3] . Asa consequence, more females begin to resort to assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm

FAQs

What population and study design were used to assess IVF outcomes by age?

The study was a retrospective, single-center analysis recruiting 3012 patients who received IVF/ICSI from July 2014 to March 2018.

What age-related pattern was found for the live birth rate?

The live birth rate decreased with increasing age, and a turning point of 35.5 (34.5–36.5) was identified on the fitted association curve.

How does the risk of IVF failure change at older ages?

Negative outcomes increased with age in the 35–37 and 37–40 ranges, indicating a more rapid rise in IVF failure risk after the mid-30s.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by SANS