A new study of 311 childless Danish women initiating assisted reproduction using donor semen finds that single women seeking treatment are no different than cohabiting women seeking treatment when it comes to sociodemographic characteristics or attitudes toward motherhood
The authors used baseline data collection in a multicenter cohort study from alll nine public fertility clinics in Denmark to examine sociodemographic characteristics, family backgrounds, reproductive histories, and attitudes towards motherhood in single vs. cohabiting women seeking treatment with donor semen.
For most, to be a single mother by choice is not their preferred way of parenthood, but rather a solution they need to accept as they get older, and so the findings may help dispel the myth in Denmark that single women are less suited to motherhood than those who live with a spouse.
“Various family formations are a normal part of the Danish society, but data from our study show that the single women’s original dream was to have a traditional family,” said Maria Salomon, RN, lead author of the Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica study. “They stated that they still wish to include a man later on in their family life, but they want to ensure achieving motherhood first.”
Citation: Maria Salomon, Randi Sylvest, Helena Hansson, Anders Nyboe Andersen, Lone Schmidt,
'Sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes towards motherhood among single women compared with cohabiting women treated with donor semen – a Danish multicenter study', Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, DOI: 10.1111/aogs.12619
