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Dr. Mary Hinckley

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Embracing motherhood in your 40s

The landscape of motherhood is evolving. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a significant rise in first-time mothers aged 40 and above. In fact, three of the top five U.S. counties with the highest proportions of women giving birth in their 40s are located in Northern California.

Dr. Mary Hinckley, IVF Medical Director at the Reproductive Science Center, recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times and attributes this trend to women prioritizing personal growth and career advancement before starting families. “I think there is an entrepreneurial spirit for women out here of just taking charge of their lives, advancing their careers, pursuing more schooling, more life experiences, and that causes them to get here later,” she shared.

IVF options tailored for women in their 40s

At RSC, we offer a range of IVF options to support women in their 40s on their journey to motherhood:

1. IVF using your own eggs

For many, the journey begins with IVF using their own eggs. This process involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving them, fertilizing with sperm in the lab, and transferring the resulting embryos into the uterus. Our personalized treatment plans aim to optimize your chances for a healthy pregnancy.

2. IVF with donor eggs

If concerns about egg quality or quantity arise, IVF with donor eggs is a viable option. This approach can enhance the likelihood of conception while allowing you to experience pregnancy and childbirth. We provide access to a diverse selection of thoroughly screened donors.

3. IVF with donor embryos

For those facing challenges with traditional IVF methods, IVF with donor embryos offers an alternative. Through our Donor Embryo Program, you can receive donated embryos that have been carefully screened and stored using advanced techniques.

4. IVF using previously frozen eggs

If you’ve preserved your eggs through egg freezing, modern IVF techniques allow you to use them to achieve pregnancy. This proactive approach provides flexibility and keeps your dreams of motherhood on track.

Financial support and programs

Understanding the financial aspects of fertility treatments is crucial. We are committed to making these options accessible by offering various financial programs:

  • Flexible financing with CapexMD
    RSC partners with CapexMD to offer financing options designed specifically for fertility treatment. With customized loan programs, competitive rates, and a streamlined application process, CapexMD makes it easier to manage the cost of care.
  • Fertility Access discount programs
    Through Fertility Access, eligible patients may qualify for refund or discount programs that can significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs. These programs are designed to provide financial peace of mind as you navigate your fertility journey.
  • Insurance and benefits coordination
    RSC accepts a wide range of insurance plans. Our financial educators are here to assist patients in navigating their insurance coverage and maximizing available benefits.

Your journey begins here

Becoming a first-time mother in your 40s is a celebration of experience and resilience. With innovative treatments and personalized care, RSC is here to support you every step of the way. As Dr. Hinckley notes, many women are now ready to embark on motherhood after enriching life experiences.

Explore your fertility options and join a growing community of empowered women embracing motherhood on their terms.

Mary Hinckley, M.D.

Mary Hinckley, M.D., serves as the IVF Medical Director at RSC, where she combines world-class expertise with compassionate care to help individuals and couples grow their families.

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Ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the womb and in the wrong place, such as the fallopian tube or ovary) is still a life-threatening complication. While in vitro fertilization (IVF) is recommended for women at risk of an ectopic pregnancy, especially if they’ve already had more than one ectopic pregnancy, it is not a 100 percent guarantee that a woman will not have an ectopic pregnancy.

Why? As many of my patients ask.

Although in IVF the embryo is placed in the uterus, generally 1.8 cm from the top, the waves of uterine contractions can propel the embryo backward through the fallopian tubes before it actually implants. This means there are still approximately 12-24 hours in which the embryo can move before implantation begins. It has also been surmised that damaged tubes can suck the embryos back into them due to pressure differentials between the uterus and the tube.

So you will find it reassuring to note that recent statistics on ectopic pregnancies (also called tubal pregnancies) after embryo transfer are on the decrease. It declined from 20 to 12 per 1,000 assisted reproductive cases over the last 12 years in the United Kingdom. It now occurs in less than 2 percent of natural (spontaneous) pregnancies and 1.4 percent of IVF and IUI pregnancies.

But this risk can be subdivided even more, providing reassurance for those without tubal disease. There is now known to be a 3 percent risk if a patient has tubal infertility and more than one embryo is transferred, but only 0.8 percent if the patient has male factor infertility and only one embryo is transferred. The statistics are similar in the U.S. showing a decline in ectopic pregnancies with IVF from 2 to 1.6 percent and a reduction in risk from 2.5 percent, if four embryos were transferred, down to 1.6 percent if only one embryo was transferred, regardless of the embryo stage.

The most common causes of tubal factor infertility include sexually transmitted infections with chlamydia, abdominal surgery, endometriosis, and smoking.

Lowering the total number of embryos transferred and transferring at the blastocyst stage (day 5) are thought to be the reasons for the decrease. Reproductive Science Center has long been a strong advocate of elective single embryo transfer (eSET) and leads the network in helping patients achieve high success rates while transferring fewer embryos. RSC has also been performing blastocyst transfers for the majority of our patients for over 10 years, giving us very low ectopic pregnancy rates.

Early detection of an ectopic pregnancy is critical. So, serial monitoring of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels and early ultrasounds at six weeks estimated gestational age (two weeks after finding out you are pregnant) can help to manage ectopic pregnancies safely 95-98 percent of the time, avoiding the need for surgery.

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