The ovarian response as a predictor for successful in vitro fertilization treatment after the age of 40 years.

To determine whether age or response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is a better predictor of IVF outcome in women > or = 40 years. Retrospective analysis. A transport IVF program. For patients undergoing IVF treatment the correlation between treatment outcome and age and response to COH was analyzed using the data of 2,588 consecutive cycles. None. Pregnancy. The incidence of poor ovarian response rises significantly with increasing age. Analysis of all cycles showed a significant decrease in clinical and ongoing pregnancy rate for women > or = 40 years. Analysis of cycles with a good ovarian response showed no statistically significant differences for these parameters between women > or = 40 years and those younger. A logistic regression analysis on pregnancy showed that ovarian response contributes more to the prediction of pregnancy than age. Patients aged > or = 40 years with a good response to COH have a good prognosis for IVF treatment. The age limit for acceptance of patients should not be set at 40 years. Instead, the response to COH can be used to predict candidates likely to have a successful IVF outcome.