Research from the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin has found the chances of women getting pregnant over the age of 40 drop rapidly.
A review of the Human Assisted Reproduction clinic at the hospital shows women in the 43-45 age bracket have less than half the chance of getting pregnant than those aged 40-42.
The research, which covers a 16 year period, also found that those in their mid-40s who do get pregnant have a substantially higher risk of losing their baby than those in the younger group.
It comes as the proportion of women over 40 using the clinic's services has risen from 7 percent in 1997 to 20 percent in recent years.
