SINGLE women in their late 30s are increasingly giving up waiting for ”Mr Right” and turning instead to IVF or assisted reproductive technology (ART) to fulfil their dream of having a baby.
IVF clinics in Sydney and Melbourne report the number of women using donor sperm to conceive a child has jumped 10 per cent over the past three years. An IVF Australia fertility specialist, Michael Chapman, said that, while lesbian couples accounted for some of the increase, the real growth was occurring with older, single heterosexual women.
”We’re seeing more and more of these ladies. Women who can’t find Mr Right but still want a child realise this is an option,” Professor Chapman said. ”It’s become almost normal to be a single mum. So when these women get to 38, 39, they go to donor sperm and do assisted reproduction.”
Categorised by the IVF industry as ”socially infertile”, these women rely on their mother, sister or a friend to support them through the IVF process in the absence of a partner. Read full article.