Single women now account for 7 per cent of all patients undergoing IVF in the UK, a significant rise that has more than tripled over the past decade, according to the latest data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). In 2014, solo women represented around 3 per cent of IVF patients; by 2024 that figure had climbed to approximately 3,700 individuals, up from 1,100 a decade earlier.
The overall number of people seeking IVF has nearly tripled in 30 years, from about 19,000 in the early 1990s to 53,000 in 2024. While opposite-sex couples still form the vast majority of patients – 88 per cent, or 47,000 – both single women and female same-sex couples have driven much of the recent growth. Female same-sex IVF patients rose from around 1,000 in 2014 to 2,800 in 2024.
The HFEA data also reveal a notable shift in how these groups are pursuing treatment. Single patients now account for more than half (51 per cent) of all those undergoing donor insemination, with female same-sex couples making up a further 42 per cent. Yet there has been a clear move away from donor insemination as a first step: increasing numbers of single women and same-sex couples are opting directly for IVF with donor sperm.
“We’re particularly seeing a shift from use of donor insemination to IVF for both groups,” said Clare Ettinghausen, director of strategy and corporate affairs at the HFEA. She cited several possible reasons, including higher birth rates per cycle, a shorter time to pregnancy, and lower overall donor sperm cost. The ability to store embryos for later use may also play a role.
That preference is borne out by success rates. In 2024, solo women aged 18 to 37 had a birth rate per embryo transferred of 39 per cent, higher than the 35 per cent recorded for women in opposite-sex couples. Female same-sex couples achieved the highest rate, at 42 per cent. Across all ages, the average birth rate per embryo transfer stood at 30 per cent, though it fell sharply to just 8 per cent for women aged 43 to 44.
Why more women are going it alone
The rise in single women and same-sex couples using IVF is part of a broader pattern of delayed parenthood and falling fertility rates. The HFEA noted that people are choosing to start families later in life: 11 per cent of births to women aged 40 to 44 were a result of IVF in 2023. The average age of IVF patients has edged down slightly from 35.1 in 2021 to 34.8 in 2024, suggesting women may be entering treatment a little earlier than before, but single women still start IVF later on average (35.4 years) compared with those in opposite-sex couples (34.8 years).
Fertility rates in the UK have fallen to an all-time low. In England and Wales, the rate stands at 1.44 children per woman, the lowest level on record, according to the Office for National Statistics. That decline, alongside broader societal shifts – including women having greater freedom to choose between career and family, and social pressures to establish careers before parenthood – has contributed to the growing demand for assisted reproduction.
Egg freezing has also surged in popularity. Around 700 patients froze their eggs in 2014, rising to 5,580 in 2024. Among 30- to 34-year-olds, the number of cycles increased by 67 per cent between 2022 and 2023. However, for the first time since 2020, the total number of egg freezing cycles has not grown from one year to the next, remaining at a similar level to 2023.
NHS funding: a postcode lottery
Despite the rising need, access to publicly funded treatment has become more restricted. The proportion of NHS-funded IVF cycles in the UK declined from 35 per cent in 2019 to 28 per cent in 2024. In England the figure is lowest, at 25 per cent. Single patients and female same-sex couples are less likely to receive NHS support: in 2022, only about 18 per cent of single patients and 16 per cent of lesbian couples had NHS funding for their first IVF cycle, compared with 52 per cent of heterosexual couples aged 18 to 39.
“While the number of female same-sex couples and single patients having fertility treatment continues to rise, both groups are less likely than opposite-sex couples to receive NHS funding,” Ms Ettinghausen said. “While the HFEA does not regulate funding, we encourage those who commission fertility services to review their eligibility criteria and consider whether these have an adverse impact on access to treatment.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government recognised that access to fertility treatment varies across the country and that it was working with the NHS to improve consistency. “We expect Integrated Care Boards to commission treatment in line with the NICE guidelines, which were updated earlier this year,” the spokesperson added.
Broader trends and disparities
IVF births now account for roughly one child in every classroom – 1 in 31 UK births, or about 3.2 per cent of all births in 2024, more than double the rate of two decades ago. The majority (81 per cent) of babies born through IVF still result from a patient’s own eggs and partner sperm.
Among female same-sex couples, reciprocal IVF – where one partner’s egg is used and the other carries the pregnancy – is common. Research indicates that pregnancies involving a partner’s egg (meaning the baby is genetically unrelated to the carrying mother) may carry a higher risk of complications such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
Ethnic disparities persist. Black and Asian patients aged 18 to 37 continue to have lower IVF birth rates than those from White and Mixed ethnic backgrounds, the HFEA data show.
The UK’s reliance on sperm donors from overseas has grown significantly. Overseas donors now account for 57 per cent of new sperm donors in 2024, up from 33 per cent a decade ago.
The HFEA cautioned that 2024 birth outcome data are preliminary and based on a new methodology, making direct comparison with previous years difficult. The regulator also noted that its data do not capture outcomes for women who travel abroad for fertility treatment.