February 15th is singles awareness day or Singles Appreciation Day. It is a day for single people to celebrate their choice to be single and embrace their independence. If you are single and considering having a baby alone, you are certainly not the only one.
More and more women are choosing to try for a baby solo. We at Hoopsy think it’s fabulous, and if you are considering your options, we’ve put together this quick guide to help you understand your options.
Going solo by choice
The number of women choosing to be single mothers is increasing, and why not? There are so many options for women considering going it alone, which means you don’t have to wait for the right person to come along if that’s not on your agenda. Many services are now ready and willing to help single women achieve parenthood, whether they want to try for a baby now or in the future.
You could choose to freeze your eggs for a later date or want to go for a baby now. Here are some fertility options that can help you fall pregnant on your own:
Donor insemination
Or artificial insemination, which involves inserting treated sperm directly into the uterus. This could be using frozen sperm from a donor, which will have been thoroughly screened for infectious diseases and genetic conditions.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) literally means “fertilisation in a glass. For single women, it involves the fertilisation of the egg by a donor sperm in an incubator outside the body, followed by the embryo transfer back into the uterus.” Before this can happen, a woman must undergo a complete IVF cycle, including the egg retrieval process. Any spare eggs can be frozen or fertilised with donor sperm and frozen as embryos.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
If IVF proves unsuccessful, or if sperm is suspected of being poor quality, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) can improve the chances of pregnancy, and involves the injection of a single sperm into each egg.
Egg freezing
Egg freezing has become more popular and much more advanced over the past decade. This is excellent news for women who don’t want to fall pregnant right now but want to keep their options open for the future.
Having a baby alone is a choice to celebrate!
If you’re single and want a baby, and don’t want to waste time waiting to meet a partner who wants the same things as you, then you are free to make a decision that suits your needs sooner rather than later.
Not having to wait for Mr or Mrs Right to come along is hugely empowering. With so many options available, there’s every reason this can happen for you too.
Happy single awareness day we hope you have a great day. However, you choose to celebrate!
