The number of single women undergoing IVF has tripled in a decade, new figures show.
Data published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) shows that the number of single women having IVF or donor insemination treatment increased from 1,400 to 4,800 from 2012 and 2022.
The average patient in 2022 was 36.4 years old, the youngest age on record for single women. Couples started treatment at a slightly younger age, according to a new report published by the HFEA.
Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) IVF treatments in 2022 were among opposite-sex couples, the HFEA said.
Single women and lesbians were found to have the highest birth rates after undergoing treatment.
Under a fifth (18 per cent) of single patients and lesbian couples (18 per cent)) had NHS funding for their first IVF treatment, the figures show.
The HFEA said that IVF funding was least common for single patients and female same-sex couples compared with heterosexual couples in 2022.
The Standard has previously reported how Londoners are far less likely to have IVF procedures funded by the NHS, with just a quarter of IVF treatment cycles between 2009 and 2021 funded by the health service.
Fertility patients were more than twice as likely to receive IVF on the NHS in the North East (61 per cent), the analysis found. In the East of England and the West Midlands, 44 per cent of IVF cycles were NHS-funded.
To qualify for NHS-funded IVF in the UK, women must meet a range of criteria outlined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including being under the age of 40 and having been trying to get pregnant through unprotected intercourse for at least two years.
The final decision on who can access NHS-funded IVF is decided by local integrated care boards, but many will only fund one cycle.
Julia Chain, chairwoman of the HFEA, said: “In the UK, different family groups can access a wide range of reproductive options when starting their fertility journey.
"While the number of female same-sex couples and single patients having fertility treatment continues to rise, we continue to see lower rates of NHS-funded treatment.
"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 and we hope that this report will generate further discussion.
"We also encourage healthcare providers to make sure the information they provide represents the diversity of families and patients accessing treatment, so that everyone can receive an inclusive experience."
Sarah Lambert, head of policy at Gingerbread, the charity for single-parent families, said: "Families come in all shapes and sizes and we know that the biggest differences in children's wellbeing are down to the quality of relationships and not family structure.
"It's therefore disappointing to see discrimination against single parents persist and we welcome the calls from the HFEA to ensure that families in all their diversity are represented and supported at each point of the IVF journey."
Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall, said: "It's been over two years since the 2022 Women's Health Strategy for England pledged to remove the unfair financial barriers that LGBTQ plus couples face trying to access NHS IVF services.
"But as this report shows, change is far too slow - so inequity in access to fertility treatment and support remains.”
