Successful triplet pregnancy in a 51-year-old woman after oocyte donation

Abstract

Although there exists in the medical literature a series of over 50- year-old donor oocyte recipients who, by in large, had successful pregnancies (3), this case is reported because it is only the second report of a successful triplet pregnancy in a 51 year old. It is also reported because of the unusual circumstances of this conception. This is an unusual scenario involving oocyte donation from a daughter to a postmenopausal mother who also required intracytoplasmic sperm injection to achieve fertilization. Although the out-come in this case was good, a triplet pregnancy was not the expected or the desired result. Transferring fewer embryos than four would certainly reduce the incidence of higher-multiple gestations and all the perinatal complications which can potentially occur. This is particularly true when the embryo quality is excellent and the endometrial receptivity has been maximized. This report serves to demonstrate that as long as upper reproductive-aged women have been screened with a thorough medical evaluation, successful pregnancies can be achieved. It should be noted that if a woman reaches 50 years of age and is healthy, she can look forward to a life expectancy of 80 years (4). Although cases such as this will likely remain controversial, it serves as an example of how far the techniques of assisted reproduction have come. It also provides a point of speculation as to how far they may yet develop.