Number of single women undergoing IVF has tripled over the past decade

The number of single women starting families without a partner has more than tripled in the last decade, according to figures from the UK’s fertility regulator.

According to the latest data from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), single women now represent around 7 per cent of all patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the UK; this rate was approximately 3 percent in 2014.

Overall, the number of patients undergoing IVF has almost tripled in the last 30 years; It has increased from around 19,000 in the early 1990s to 53,000 in 2024.

While opposite-sex couples make up the majority of IVF patients, accounting for 88 percent (47,000) of all patients in 2024, the number of same-sex couples and single patients has increased rapidly.

The number of gay female IVF patients has increased from around 1,000 in 2014 to 2,800 in 2024, and the number of single IVF patients has more than tripled from 1,100 to 3,700.

Moreover, in 2024, more than half of those who underwent donor insemination (51 percent) were single patients, followed by homosexual female couples (42 percent).

Single patients and same-sex female couples previously received donor insemination treatment before using IVF to conceive. However, in recent years, the number of patients who prefer in vitro fertilization with donor sperm as their first treatment has been increasing.

Clare Ettinghausen, HFEA’s director of strategy and corporate affairs, said: Independent: “For both groups in particular, we are seeing a shift from the use of donor insemination to IVF, which may be due to a variety of reasons, including higher birth rates per cycle, shorter time to pregnancy, lower overall cost of donor sperm, and more.”

In the UK, roughly one child in every classroom (1 in 31) continues to account for in vitro fertilization births, and the majority of babies (81 per cent) are born from in vitro fertilization using the patient’s own eggs and their partner’s sperm.

However, the proportion of IVF cycles funded by the NHS in the UK has fallen from 35 per cent in 2019 to 28 per cent in 2024.

Egg freezing among 30 to 34-year-olds also increased by 67 percent between 2022 and 2023. Egg freezing has grown in popularity over the past decade, with nearly 700 patients freezing their eggs in 2014, reaching 5,580 in 2024.

However, for the first time since 2020, the number of egg freezing cycles did not increase between years and remained at a similar level to 2023.

The HFEA put forward several reasons why more people are undergoing IVF. One of these is the increase in the number of single women and homosexual couples using in vitro fertilization, and the other is that people choose to start families at later ages.

Data shows that in 2023, 11 percent of births to women aged 40 to 44 will occur as a result of in vitro fertilization.

Another reason the HFEA suggests could be driving the rise in IVF is that fertility rates in the UK have fallen to an all-time low.

Fertility rates are gradually declining around the world, having more than halved since 1963. The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level in history at 1.44 children per woman, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Ms Ettinghausen added: “While the number of same-sex female couples and single patients receiving fertility treatment continues to rise, both groups are less likely to receive NHS funding than opposite-sex couples.

“Although the HFEA does not regulate funding, we encourage commissioners of fertility services to review eligibility criteria and consider whether these have a negative impact on access to treatment, and we hope this report will spark further discussion.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “The Government recognizes that access to fertility treatment varies across the country and the difficulty this causes for people trying to start a family.

“We want equal access for everyone, so we are working with the NHS to improve consistency. We expect Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to commission treatment in line with NICE guidelines updated earlier this year.

“We will continue to support healthcare to ensure national guidance is followed and ensure fair access for everyone, no matter where they live.”