46 Years Old. Trying To Conceive. What Should I Take To Increase The Egg Health And Fertility?

Posted on Thu, 7 Feb 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 Answered on

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : we are thinking of getting pregnant again but have had some difficulty already. we tried in vitro once but my levels were a bit low. Im 46 now and have a 4 year old (natural birth). My doctor had to remove scar tissue after first tubal pregnancy was dissolved. Then we easily got pregnant. Soon after, we tried but nothing happened. We did in-vitro but one egg shell was too hard for sperm to penetrate so they cracked it. It still didnt work. Is it too late? Are my eggs too old now? What should we do? Im on my menstrual cycle now. Is there something I should take to increase the egg health and fertility?

Answered by Dr. Mahesh Koregol (45 minutes later)

Reduced ovarian reserve : Hi, thanks for your query. I read your query and I understand your concerns at 46 years of age. Following is my reply : 1) I am glad to see that you have conceived naturally after 40 years of age with tubal reconstruction surgery. Many women find it difficult to conceive at this age with this procedure. I am happy you did. 2) As i see you got only 1 egg with thick zona cover. ICSI was performed i guess. This shows decreased quality and quantity due to aging effect on your ovary. 3) Perhaps it will be difficult to conceive this time due to this even in vitro. 4) I suggest you please undergo following tests to check ovaran reserve . Get following tests within 4 days of menstrual cycle : FSH, LH, AMH, Antral follicle count by scan. 5) If you can get back to me with these reports, I can accurately predict possibility of conception. I hope I answered your query. Regards, Dr. Mahesh Koregol. IVF & Infertility Specialist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar