title: Sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes towards motherhood among single women compared with cohabiting women treated with donor semen - a Danish multicenter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine sociodemographic characteristics, family backgrounds, reproductive histories, and attitudes towards motherhood in single vs. cohabiting women seeking treatment with donor semen.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data collection in a multicenter cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  All nine public fertility clinics in Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total n = 311 childless women initiating assisted reproduction using donor semen.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported questionnaire responses from n = 184 single women seeking treatment by using donor semen were compared with responses from n = 127 cohabiting women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sociodemographic characteristics, family backgrounds, reproductive histories, attitudes towards motherhood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Single women were 3.5 years older on average when initiating treatment compared with cohabiting women. No significant differences were found regarding sociodemographic characteristics, previous long-term relationships, previous pregnancies, or attitudes towards motherhood between single women and cohabiting women. The vast majority of single women wanted to achieve parenthood with a partner, 85.8% wished to have a partner in the future, and approximately half of them preferred for a partner to take parental responsibilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study single women seeking treatment with donor semen in the public health system did not differ from cohabiting women, except that they were older. To be a single mother by choice is not their preferred way of parenthood, but a solution they needed to accept.
authors.affiliation: Fertility Clinic, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salomon
authors.forename: Randi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sylvest
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nyboe Andersen
authors.forename: Lone
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001290:Attitude; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007316:Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous; D017533:Marital Status; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012847:Single Person / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Medically assisted reproduction; donor semen; motherhood; single mothers; single women