We define “single mother by choice” as a woman who freely wishes to become pregnant through an Assisted Reproduction technique, without the collaboration of a known partner.
This is an absolutely legal option, recognized in the Assisted Reproduction Law, currently in force in Spain. These are women who recognize that they are in the age of a first pregnancy, but for different reasons do not have a stable partner and do not wish to postpone their decision to become a mother.
They are usually women with a stable economic situation, an age close to 35 years, and a medium or medium-high cultural level.
Artificial insemination
Depending on the situation, they may opt for a pregnancy through insemination with donor sperm. This option is appropriate when there are no biological problems to get pregnant (no problems with the gynecological apparatus or general health) and the decision to become pregnant is immediate. It involves locating the woman’s ovulatory moment, generally by means of serial ultrasound examinations, and proceeding with insemination. It is the most economical procedure and the simplest technique of the possible options.
In vitro fertilization
If the desire is for a delayed pregnancy, but the woman’s age is beginning to be compromised (over 35 years of age), it can be decided to perform in vitro fertilization, and fertilize the extracted oocytes with bank sperm and vitrify them for later use or vitrify the unfertilized oocytes, waiting for the ideal partner to appear later, with whose sperm the oocytes could be fertilized, in order to transfer them.
Of the two, the first technique is more successful, since the embryos (fertilized and evolved oocytes) resist vitrification and devitrification processes better than unfertilized oocytes, which are more labile. On the other hand, the first option forces the choice of banked sperm, while the second provides the opportunity to choose it in the future.
Choosing one or the other option will depend on whether the time to initiate a pregnancy is now or should be postponed. There are more variables such as the patient’s age, her ovarian reserve, the family support she may have, etc. The gynecologist can help the woman choose the best option.
The questions a woman should ask herself to initiate a consultation in this regard are:
- Do I want to get pregnant?
- Do I have a partner?
- Is it the right time?
Gine’s experience3 in this type of situation has led us to evaluate the importance of the support the woman receives from her direct family (mother and father) and, to a lesser extent, from her circle of friends. The greater proportion of women who have undergone these techniques, when they already have a child, look for a partner to consolidate their family, since it can make the child’s education more bearable, and can help in a better evolution.