Record number of single women have babies using IVF

MORE single women than ever are starting a family on their own using IVF.

This is because they may struggle to find ‘Mr Right’ – with men they meet either deemed unsuitable to father their child or not ready to be a parent, experts say.

The number of IVF attempts by women seeking to have a baby without a partner has almost quadrupled in a decade. More than half are by those aged 40 and over, with almost one in ten cycles given to women over 44.

In 2007, there were only 351 treatment cycles in Britain for women who opted to have IVF on their own. The latest statistics show that number rose to 1,290 in 2017.

When those who were inseminated with donor sperm but did not have full IVF are added, women tried 2,279 times to start a family on their own in 2017, according to figures released today by the fertility regulator the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Of these, 671 cycles of treatment were for women aged 40 to 42 with no partner, 278 for those aged 43 to 44 and 191 for women aged over 44.

Egg-freezing is now the fastest growing fertility treatment, with pop singer Rita Ora among those storing their younger, good- quality eggs to give them a higher chance of conceiving through IVF later in life. The HFEA figures show the number has more than trebled.

Some 410 cycles of the procedure – popular among women who have no male partner and want to put their fertility on hold – were given in 2012.

In 2017, the figure rose to 1,462 – up 10 per cent on the previous year – with growing numbers also returning to get their eggs thawed.

A previous HFEA report said the single most common reason for women freezing their eggs was having no male partner. The figures also show a sharp rise in women who are outside heterosexual relationships and seeking treatment to have a child.

IVF and donor insemination for women in lesbian relationships rose by 12 per cent to 4,463 cycles in 2017, while cycles for surrogate mothers rose by 22 per cent.

HFEA head Sally Cheshire said: ‘We are seeing a gradual change in the reasons why people use fertility treatments, which were originally developed to help heterosexual couples with infertility problems. While the increases in same- sex couples, single women and surrogates having fertility treatment are small, this reflects society’s changing attitudes towards family creation, lifestyles and relationships, and highlights the need for the sector to continue to evolve and adapt.’

Overall, 20,555 babies were born as a result of IVF carried out in 2017. The average age of women having fertility treatment has risen from 33.5 in 1991 to 35.5. The odds of having a baby through IVF for women using their own eggs is 22 per cent.

Mrs Cheshire said: ‘Single women make up 3 per cent of all fertility treatment cycles and overall numbers remain small, at fewer than 3,000 cycles for single women in 2017.’

Professor Geeta Nargund, medical director at the Create Fertility chain of private clinics, said numbers of single women seeking IVF had been rising for years.

‘There are a number of factors – some women haven’t found a suitable partner, or a partner willing to have a child, while other women choose to concentrate on their career,’ she said.

‘In addition, I think the awareness and availability of fertility treatments such as sperm donation and fertility testing has increased the choices available to women – empowering them to make the decision to have children when it is right for them.’

‘Reflects society’s changing attitudes’