Older women should consider using donor eggs from younger woman, a new study shows.

Predictably, women under the age of 34 have the greatest chances of becoming pregnant through IVF.

However, according to research older women with low ovarian reserve can achieve pregnancy by using donor eggs from younger women.

The study looked at the chances of conception by taking into account age, the diagnosis that caused the patient to seek fertility treatment, whether additional preserved embryos, and the stage when the embryos were transferred.

Lead study author Barbara Luke, professor and epidemiologist at Michigan State University in East Lansing states that when women require fertility treatment, there isn’t a simple answer about their chances of conception, and a lot of factors needs to be considered.

After the third treatment cycle, women aged 31 and younger had a 63 to 75% chance of ending up with a baby, compared with women 41 or 42 who used their own egg and had a 19 to 28% chance. Those 43 or older had a 7 to 11% chance. When donor eggs from younger women were used, the rates were much higher, usually hovering between 60 and 80%, for all ages.

What this says is that using a younger egg improves the chances of conception.

The study was published in the June 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. It tracked data on nearly 250,000 women and 471,000 in vitro fertilization cycles from 2004 to 2009 at 400 clinics, resulting in 141,000 babies.

The study shows that women over 40 should evaluate their odds and consider using a donor egg more quickly.

The research also took into consideration infertility diagnoses that could influence chances of success. Low ovarian reserve was associated with lower odds of a live birth. Fibroids, endometriosis or adhesions on the uterus were also associated with a lower success rate.

On the flip side, other factors like male infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome and tubal factor infertility, had less of an impact.