SINGLE women are increasingly having babies without the help of men, figures show. Solo mothers’ use of IVF or sperm donors is growing faster than among women with partners. It has trebled in a decade and in 2022 accounted for nine per cent of all procedures.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority data showed the total of 4,800 patients was 3.5 times higher than 1,400 in 2012. That compared to a 2.
5-fold rise in lesbian couples , from 1,300 to 3,300, and a four per cent increase for heterosexual couples, to 47,000. The HFEA said single women are 36 years old, on average, when they use the clinics. Read more on fertility Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) IVF treatments in 2022 were among opposite-sex couples, the HFEA said.
But they highlight that single women and lesbians had the highest birth rates after undergoing treatment. In 2022, one in six IVF cycles among lesbians was so-called “reciprocal IVF”, a fertility treatment option available for same-sex female couples and also sometimes referred to as shared motherhood . It comes alongside a huge increase in egg freezing , with single women accounting for 89 per cent.
Most read in Health The figures add to a trend of women having children later in life, with many taking more time to focus on their careers or feeling they are not wealthy enough to have a child. New mums in the UK are a record 31 years old, on average, up from 26 in the 1970s. The HFEA report said many people who want to be parents struggle to get NH.