Fertility treatment options for single women

If you’re considering starting a family on your own, there are several fertility treatment options available. Depending on your plans and individual fertility, these may include donor IUI or IVF using donor sperm. If you’re not ready to conceive yet but want to keep your options open for the future, egg freezing may also be worth considering.

There isn’t one treatment that works best for every single woman. Your age, ovarian reserve, ovulation, fallopian tube health and medical history can all influence the options available, as can whether you hope to start now or preserve your fertility for later.

At London Women’s Clinic, we’ll begin by understanding your plans and assessing your fertility before discussing the treatments that may be suitable for you. Book a fertility consultation to explore your options and plan your next steps with one of our specialists.

What are the main fertility treatment options for single women?

The main fertility treatment options for single women depend on whether you’re ready to try for a baby now or are thinking about your future fertility. Depending on your plans, you may consider:

• Fertility assessment: A useful starting point to help you understand your ovarian reserve and overall reproductive health, giving you a clearer picture of your fertility and helping to inform future decisions.
• Egg freezing: A method of fertility preservation best for those who aren’t quite ready to conceive but would like to preserve eggs at their current age for possible use in the future.
• Donor IUI: A straightforward treatment where donor sperm is placed directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation. It may be an option if your fallopian tubes are healthy and there are no significant fertility concerns.
• Donor IVF: Eggs are collected and fertilised with donor sperm in the laboratory before an embryo is transferred to the uterus. IVF may be recommended where factors such as age, ovarian reserve, fallopian tube health or previous unsuccessful treatment influence your chances of conception.
• IVF with ICSI: A form of IVF where a single sperm is injected directly into an egg to help fertilisation. Your clinical and embryology teams may recommend ICSI where there is a specific reason it could help with fertilisation, rather than as a separate treatment option.

You don’t need to decide between these options before your first appointment. Your fertility assessment and consultation can help establish which are worth exploring based on your health, priorities and timescale.

Start with timing and fertility assessment

When you’re thinking about fertility treatment as a single woman, one of the first questions to consider is whether you want to try to conceive now or preserve your fertility for the future. This can shape which options you explore, particularly as both egg quantity and quality change with age.

Your ovarian reserve can be assessed using a AMH blood test alongside an ultrasound to look at the ovaries and antral follicle count. These tests can provide valuable insights into your reproductive health and help indicate how you might respond to fertility treatment. Your age, ovulation, fallopian tube health and medical history are also important when deciding whether treatments such as donor IUI or IVF may be recommended.

If you’re not ready to start trying for a baby, the same information can help you have a more informed conversation about egg freezing and whether preserving your eggs now is something you want to explore.

Fertility MOT and planning your next step

A fertility health assessment gives you an opportunity to understand more about your reproductive health before making decisions about treatment. At London Women’s Clinic, this includes an AMH blood test and pelvic ultrasound, followed by a consultation to discuss your results, medical history and plans for the future.

Your specialist will bring these findings together rather than relying on any single result. From there, you can discuss whether to start trying to conceive with donor sperm, investigate IUI or IVF in more detail, preserve eggs for later, or simply use the information to help plan for the future.

Egg freezing if you are not ready to conceive yet

If you know you’d like to try for a child in the future but aren’t ready to start now, egg freezing can give you the option to preserve eggs at their current age for possible use later. Both egg quantity and quality decline as we get older, so it’s important to consider your options sooner rather than later.

The process involves stimulating the ovaries with medication so that multiple eggs develop, followed by a short procedure to collect mature eggs. These are then carefully frozen and stored until you decide if and when you want to use them in future IVF treatment.

Egg freezing cannot guarantee a future pregnancy but it can give you more control and choices about timing. Your age at the time of freezing, ovarian reserve and the number of mature eggs collected can all influence the likelihood of having eggs available for future treatment. A consultation can help you understand what egg freezing could realistically offer based on your individual fertility.

Donor IUI for single women

Donor IUI is one of the simpler fertility treatments available to single women who are ready to try to conceive using donor sperm. During treatment, a prepared sample is placed directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation, giving sperm the opportunity to fertilise an egg naturally.

IUI may be discussed if you are ovulating regularly, have at least one healthy, open fallopian tube and there are no significant fertility factors that could make conception less likely. Age is also important, as egg quality and the chance of pregnancy decline over time.

Treatment is planned around ovulation, which may be monitored using ultrasound scans and, in some cases, medication. Your specialist will use your test results, age and medical history to advise whether starting with IUI is best or whether IVF may offer a better chance of success.

Donor IVF for single women

During IVF, medication stimulates the ovaries to develop multiple eggs. A fertility specialist then collects the eggs, which are fertilised with sperm in the laboratory. For single women, this typically involves donor sperm. Embryologists monitor the resulting embryos as they develop before selecting an embryo for transfer to the uterus. Suitable additional embryos may also be frozen for possible future use.

IVF may be discussed where age, ovarian reserve or problems affecting the fallopian tubes make IUI less likely to succeed. It may also be explored after unsuccessful IUI cycles, or where creating and potentially freezing embryos forms an important part of your longer-term family planning.

IVF involves more medication, monitoring and procedures than IUI, so the decision isn't simply about choosing the more intensive treatment. Your test results, medical history, age and plans for the future can all help your specialist advise which route is better for you.

Where does ICSI fit?

ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is a fertilisation technique that can be used as part of IVF. Instead of placing eggs and sperm together in the laboratory, an embryologist injects a single sperm directly into each mature egg to help fertilisation.

ICSI isn’t routinely needed for single women using donor sperm. However, your clinical and embryology teams may present it as an option if there is a specific reason to assist fertilisation, such as concerns about the sperm sample or previous problems with fertilisation during IVF.

If ICSI is recommended, the rest of your treatment follows the IVF pathway, including ovarian stimulation, egg collection, embryo development and embryo transfer.

How donor sperm fits into your treatment plan

If you’re planning to conceive as a single woman, donor sperm can be used with either IUI or IVF. The type of treatment you have will influence the sperm sample you need, so it’s helpful to discuss your plan with your clinical team before making your final donor choice.

You don’t need to choose a donor before discussing treatment with London Women’s Clinic. Your clinical team can first help establish whether IUI or IVF is more likely to meet your needs and explain what type of sperm sample will be required. Once you’re ready to start looking for a donor, you can move on to the selection process with London Sperm Bank.

When donor choice moves to London Sperm Bank

London Women’s Clinic works closely with our partners at London Sperm Bank, giving patients access to donor sperm from the UK’s leading sperm bank. Their team specialises in the practical side of choosing and arranging donor sperm for fertility treatment.

Through London Sperm Bank, you can learn more about individual donor profiles, screening, CMV status and genetic carrier information. They can also help you understand the different sample types available and take you through ordering and arranging delivery to your clinic.

Choosing a donor can take time, so you can start exploring the London Sperm Bank donor catalogue while discussing your treatment plans with your LWC team. 

Legal, counselling and support considerations

Using donor sperm involves decisions that extend beyond the clinical side of treatment. You can discuss the implications of donor conception before treatment begins, including what it may mean for you and any future child.

Sperm donors do not have legal rights or responsibilities for children conceived through their donation when treatment takes place at a UK-licensed fertility clinic. However, donor-conceived people have the right to access information about their donor as they grow up. This can include identifying information from the age of 18 if their donor registered after 1 April 2005.

Fertility counselling gives you a confidential space to explore topics such as talking to your child about their conception, donor information and any questions or concerns you have before treatment. Your team can also explain the consent and legal framework around donor conception, so you have the information you need before deciding to move forward.

How to compare your fertility options

Your plans, fertility assessment and timing will all help determine which option to explore. Below you’ll find a quick comparison of the main differences between egg freezing, donor IUI and donor IVF to help you get started:

This comparison is a starting point rather than a recommendation. Your specialist can use your assessment results and family-building plans to explain the advantages and limitations of each route for you.

Questions to ask your fertility specialist

Your consultation is a good opportunity to understand your fertility in more detail and talk through how different treatments could fit with your plans. You may find it helpful to ask:

• What can my fertility tests tell me about my ovarian reserve and reproductive health?
• Based on my age, test results and medical history, which treatments would you recommend exploring?
• What are the main differences between donor IUI and IVF in my circumstances?
• Would ICSI be relevant if I have IVF, and what would determine whether you recommend it?
• When will I need to choose donor sperm, and what should I know before starting my search?
• How soon could I start treatment, and what would the timeline involve?
• What appointments, scans and medication would I need for each option?
• What costs should I plan for, including treatment, medication and donor sperm?
• If I’m not ready to conceive yet, should I think about egg freezing?

You don’t need to arrive at your consultation knowing which treatment you want. It’s a chance to ask questions, understand the differences and make decisions at a pace that feels comfortable for you.

FAQs

Can single women have fertility treatment in the UK?

Yes, single women can access fertility treatment through UK-licensed fertility clinics, including treatment using donor sperm. Depending on your fertility, age and plans, this could include donor IUI or IVF, as well as egg freezing for those who want to preserve their fertility for later.

What fertility treatment options are available for single women?

Your options can include a fertility assessment, egg freezing, IUI with donor sperm and IVF using donor sperm. ICSI may also form part of an IVF cycle if your clinical and embryology teams identify a specific reason it may be needed.

Is IUI or IVF better for single women?

Neither treatment is universally better. Your age, ovarian reserve, ovulation, fallopian tube health, medical history and family-building plans can all influence whether your specialist recommends starting with donor IUI or exploring IVF.

When might donor IUI be suitable?

Donor IUI may be an option if you ovulate, have at least one healthy, open fallopian tube and don't have significant fertility factors that could reduce the likelihood of conception. Your specialist will also consider your age and assessment results before advising whether IUI is suitable for you.

When might IVF be recommended instead?

Your specialist may recommend IVF where factors such as age, ovarian reserve or fallopian tube problems could make IUI less likely to succeed. It can also make sense after unsuccessful IUI cycles or if creating and potentially freezing suitable embryos is important to your future family plans.

Do single women need donor sperm for IUI or IVF?

If you’re having fertility treatment without sperm from a partner, you’ll need donor sperm for both IUI and IVF. London Women’s Clinic can explain how it fits into your treatment, while London Sperm Bank can help you explore donors, screening information and the practical steps involved in choosing and ordering a sample.

Where does ICSI fit for single women using donor sperm?

ICSI is a fertilisation technique used within IVF, rather than a separate treatment for single women. Your clinical and embryology teams may recommend it if there is a specific reason to assist fertilisation; using donor sperm alone does not mean you will need ICSI.

Should I freeze my eggs or start treatment with donor sperm?

The key question is whether you’re ready to try to conceive now or want to preserve your fertility for later. Your age, ovarian reserve and reproductive health also matter, so a fertility assessment can give you useful information before you decide between egg freezing and treatment using donor sperm.

How do I choose a sperm donor?

You can choose a donor based on the information available through a licensed sperm bank, which may include physical characteristics, medical and family history, personal information and screening results. London Sperm Bank provides detailed guidance and a donor catalogue to help you understand the choices available.

What should I ask at my first consultation?

Ask what your fertility assessment can tell you, whether IUI or IVF may suit your circumstances, when you'll need to choose donor sperm and what your likely treatment timeline will look like. You can also discuss costs, counselling, consent and legal considerations, and anything you need to do before treatment begins.

Next steps

You don’t need to know whether IUI, IVF, egg freezing or another option is best before speaking to us. Your first appointment is about understanding where you are now, what you want for the future and what your fertility assessment can tell us.

You can start with a fertility health assessment,, including an AMH blood test, pelvic ultrasound and consultation with a fertility specialist. If donor treatment is part of your plans, London Sperm Bank can help when you’re ready to explore donor profiles, screening and choosing a donor.

Book a fertility consultation with London Women’s Clinic or or get in touch if you’d like to talk to our team first.

References / Further reading

Using donated eggs, sperm or embryos in treatment - HFEA (2016) 

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) - HFEA (2016) 

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) - HFEA (2016)

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) - HFEA (2016)

Fertility Network