Received March 02, 1997
Accepted May 17, 1997

Introduction: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the performance ofwomen over 40 submitted to an ICSI program with their husbands and to compare their data with those obtained for other age ranges. Material and Methods: A total of 330 patients whose husbands presented an altered male factor were submitted to the ICSI program and divided into different age ranges (Group I: ≤29 years, Group II: 30-34 years, Group III: 35-39 years, and Group IV:≥40 years). Results: The number of oocytes collected, the fertilization rate and the number of embryos transferred were similar for the four groups. The implantation rate (IR) was 20.5% in group I, 15.3 in group II, 13.4 in group III, and 8. 3 in group IV. No significant difference in implantation rate was observed between group I and group II (p>0.08). However, a significant difference in IR occurred between group I and group III (p=0.03) and between group I and group IV (p<0.01). The pregnancy rate per transfer (PRT) was 38.8% in group I, 30% in group ll, 32.4% in group 111, and 26.3% in group IV. PRT did not differ significantly between groups. Finally, the rate of delivery per puncture was 35.7% in group I, 25.4% in group ll, 28.7% in group III and 17.8% in group IV. Conclusion: There was a decline in embryo implantation rate starting at 35 years, which became more marked after 40 years.