Dr. Sathya Balasubramanyam
Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Currently, I am 40 years old and my husband is 44 years. We have a 12-year-old daughter and she is doing good. Because of a struggling period in our initial years, I decided to have a single child. However, over the period of time, my mindset started to change and now I want to go for a second baby. Because of my age, our gynecologist suggests to go for IVF to avoid chromosomal abnormalities. But we are a little bit doubtful about this decision.
My questions are:
1. We both are already in our forties. We are not sure about our own life expectancies. Considering this, is it worth going for IVF at the age of 40 if we already have a daughter?
2. What about the success rate of IVF at 40?
3. I already have a family history of cardiomyopathy (HCM) from the maternal side. Though I am not diagnosed with this right now, I experience shortness of breath on many occasions. Considering this genetic history, is it safe to have a pregnancy at 40 years?
I would be glad if you give me a direct, straightforward answer so it could be easy for us to make a firm decision.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I read your query and can understand your concern.
Pregnancy at 40 even with IVF (in-vitro fertilization) has suboptimal success rates. The majority of the embryos formed would be chromosomally abnormal and hence pregnancy rates are low. There is a higher chance of diabetes, hypertension, and preterm delivery. However, if you are very keen, despite knowing the limitations, please check your serum AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone) levels. This is a marker of the number of eggs remaining in your ovaries. We could connect again after you have the AMH report, pelvic ultrasound in the midcycle, and your husband's semen analysis.
In regards to your risk of cardiomyopathy, a cardiologist would be the best person to give an opinion on that.
I hope this helps.
Thanks and take care.
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Obstetrics and Gynecology
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