From the age of 35, all women begin to experience a marked reduction in the number of their eggs and, in particular, in their egg quality. However, poor egg quality is not an impediment to having a baby.

What is the treatment to improve poor egg quality?

So far there is no treatment to improve oocyte quality; however, techniques such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) allow several eggs to be retrieved at the same time to increase the chances of having better quality eggs.

Iraí shares her story below, talking about the more than 6-year journey she went through to have her baby, and how, after receiving an accurate diagnosis about her and her husband's reproductive health, they were able to conceive their little Sofía.

We had no idea what was going on, no one would tell us why

"Six years after we got married we realised that we were having problems having babies because, even though we tried, we were not getting pregnant. I felt a lot of guilt and frustration because we didn´t know why we could not.

We went to a gynaecologist, underwent Artificial Insemination and In Vitro Fertilization treatment, but none of it worked and we were recommended to look for something more specialised to treat us. It was very difficult for both of us to go through something like that; and in spite of that, my husband never stopped encouraging me, to the extent that he didn't allow himself to feel bad for himself.

Then we found out about the Institute, we talked about it and decided to go. They did tests and that's when we found out what was going on. My eggs were not of good quality and my husband had a low sperm count.

We were told that there were Assisted Reproduction alternatives for us, so we tried again and took the treatment with several cycles of In Vitro fertilization, and when we did the first cycle it didn't work.

We had to keep going until everything was exhausted

It was very hard, I felt I couldn't calm down with anything, very sad. That first attempt I wasn't working well, I felt broken because of everything that had happened before and even more so when it didn't work out. However, we decided to continue, we had to try everything, keep going as far as we could!

On the second attempt things were different, the doctors changed some processes and we had our second IVF completely new. It had finally worked! My dream was coming true.

We were overjoyed when we found out he was positive, we couldn't believe it, and we were speechless when we heard his heart on the ultrasound.

Sofi was born in the early hours of September 2, 2018, and we enjoyed every part of that moment very much, we were together, we saw her when she came out, her gestures, her beautiful face, we got to know her little by little.

Fortunately she had no complications, even though she was tiny, because she weighed just over a kilo, but we were able to take her home immediately. She is our greatest blessing, a gift, we go ahead in spite of everything, we waited for her for a long time, the whole family was waiting for her, and we are going to give her the best of ourselves.

She is the most beautiful child in the world and we love her deeply. That diagnosis of poor egg quality and low sperm count was a bucket of cold water, but it helped us find the right path. Everything we went through was worth it, it was all for her, to come into our lives at the best time, and it's something we are grateful for every day."

Are you over 35 and want to become a mother?

Although it is true that age is a determining factor when looking for a baby, as the number of eggs and their quality diminish significantly, this is not an impediment to having a baby.

If you are over 35 and have been trying for 6 months or more without success, it is important that you receive a full assessment of your reproductive health, by fertility doctors, and only then opt for a treatment that suits your specific circumstances.

At Ingenes, we have an Initial program for all women who want to experience motherhood after the age of 35 and are willing to do everything to achieve it. A program focused on identifying the causes that are preventing you from achieving your dream and drawing up a personalised treatment plan.

Come and tell us your story here, let us help you bring your baby home.