The number of women aged 40 and over undergoing fertility treatment has risen substantially, according to figures released yesterday.
The number of women aged 40 and over undergoing fertility treatment has risen substantially, according to figures released yesterday.
Statistics from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) show there were 6174 treatment cycles last year among women aged 40-45 using their own eggs. In 1991, the comparable figure was just 596 cycles.
In 2006, women aged 40-45 accounted for 15.5% of all treatment cycles, compared to 10.7% of all cycles in 2000, and just 9.2% in 1991.
Despite the fact many more older women were under-going treatment, live birth rates remained relatively low. In 1998, the rate was 9% in women aged 40 and only 11.8% in 2004. In women aged 44, it was 2.4% in 1998 and 2.8% in 2004. The latest figures also showed all women increased their chances of getting pregnant the more cycles of IVF they had.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) recommends women aged 23 to 39 receive three cycles on the NHS. Government guidelines in 2004 said all eligible women aged 23 to 39 should get one free cycle of IVF.
However, critics argue there is still a "postcode lottery", with some primary care trusts offering no cycles at all.
Sheena Young, head of business development in Scotland for the Infertility Network UK, said: "The rise in figures has to do with the NHS not providing adequate treatment for people. While the situation isn't so bad in Scotland, there is a huge disparity in England about who can access treatment and who cannot.
"Thames Valley Health Board, for example, will only treat women between the ages of 36 and 39 - and so people can be on NHS waiting lists for years and are then forced to go private. Scotland is further advanced than England in implementing what should be given. Here, treatment can be accessed up to the age of 38, with no lower age limit."
Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director of Midland Fertility Services, said: "We need to get away from this stereotype which says alpha-type women try for a baby only once they have got their seat on the board and travelled the world.
"With a divorce rate of one in three, there are an awful lot of couples trying to conceive in second relationships when the woman is naturally going to be older. Another significant factor is education and the workforce.
"The government wants 50% of our young people to be graduates but they then need to pay back their university fees before they can even think about buying a house.
"This means the idea of what is the right age for having children is being pushed back a significant number of years.
"Then there's the fact women think 40 is the new 30. Today's women look so young and think so young they simply can't accept their reproductive system is not going to be young as well. Some people see IVF as a technological solution to a biological problem but around 40% of pregnancies in women age 40 end in miscarriage and that figure rises to around 75% in women aged 45."
Angela McNab, chief executive of HFEA, said of the figures: "It may be one of the messages we need to concentrate on is about the biological clock and the difficulties in achieving a pregnancy over 40."
The average cost of one IVF cycle in a private clinic is between £4000 and £8000. More than half of all IVF treatments are carried out on the under-35s.
