Large-Scale ESHRE Study: “Lower Pregnancy Rates, Higher Miscarriage Risk, and Lower Birth Rates” Confirmation That “Even If the Egg Is Young, the Uterus and Body Still Age”
Donor eggs have long been considered the ‘last hope’ of infertility treatment. Because they use the eggs of young women in their 20s or 30s rather than one’s own, there was a belief that even at an older age, one could expect pregnancy success rates similar to those of younger women.
However, the latest research presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has shown that this belief has clear limitations. The study found that even when using donor eggs, once a woman passes the age of 49, pregnancy success rates decrease, the risk of miscarriage increases, and the rate of healthy live births is significantly lower.
This study reconfirmed the fact that while the aging of the egg can be overcome, the aging of the uterus and the body as a whole cannot be reversed.
The research team analyzed 1,774 women who underwent In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) using donor eggs. The results showed that while the pregnancy rate for women aged 35–40 was about 54%, it dropped to about 43% for those 49 and older. The live birth rate also fell sharply from 46.2% to 31.7%, while the miscarriage rate increased from 24.2% to 37.6%. The research team concluded that the woman’s age itself is an independent risk factor that lowers birth rates and increases the risk of miscarriage.
Many people think that if they use donor eggs, their own age no longer matters. However, pregnancy is not a process completed by a good embryo alone. The embryo must successfully implant in the uterus, the placenta must form normally, and for about 40 weeks, the mother’s blood vessels, immune system, and metabolic functions must stably support the fetus. In this process, the uterine environment, blood flow, cardiovascular function, hormonal balance, and overall physical health play just as decisive a role as the quality of the egg.
As we age, blood vessels lose their elasticity, and the risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes increases. It is also difficult for the uterus to maintain the same environment it had in youth. No matter how excellent an embryo is created, it is ultimately the woman’s body that carries it and helps it grow for ten months. A young egg can change the beginning, but it cannot replace the entire process of pregnancy.
The message this study delivers is clear: Donor eggs can solve ‘egg aging,’ but they are not a treatment that solves ‘body aging.’ The embryo may be young, but the uterus remembers time, and pregnancy is a process created by the woman’s entire body, not just the egg.
While medicine has dazzlingly advanced the technology to create good embryos, this study has confirmed with the largest set of data to date that a woman’s age remains a variable that cannot be ignored in the long biological process leading to childbirth.
Of course, this study does not mean that pregnancy after 49 is impossible. In fact, there are women who give birth healthily through donor eggs. However, it shows that it is important to establish treatment strategies after fully understanding the reality that, on average, the likelihood of pregnancy decreases and the risk of miscarriage increases.
Infertility treatment is often called a battle of eggs. But this ESHRE study provides a slightly different answer: Pregnancy is not determined solely by the age of the egg. Eggs can be made ‘young,’ but the uterus and the body age together. And ultimately, it is not the egg, but the woman’s whole body that holds life and brings it out into the world.
Donor eggs are one of the greatest treatments created by modern reproductive medicine, but they are not a cure that turns back time. This research is significant in that it demonstrates that cold reality with the clearest possible data.
※ This article was written based on the research titled “Advanced maternal age independently affects live birth and increases miscarriage risk in donor oocyte cycles,” presented at the 2026 ESHRE Annual Meeting. It does not replace a specific individual’s diagnosis or treatment, and actual medical judgment must be made through consultation with a specialist.
※ Images: Created using generative AI (ChatGPT, OpenAI); depicts fictional individuals, not real people.