Single mothers by choice - experiences of single women seeking treatment at a public fertility clinic in Denmark: A pilot study.

Autor: Steenberg M; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 5 Oester Farimagsgade, PO Box 2099, DK, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark., Koert E; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 5 Oester Farimagsgade, PO Box 2099, DK, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark., Schmidt L; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 5 Oester Farimagsgade, PO Box 2099, DK, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark., Bogstad J; Fertility Department, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark., Sylvest R; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 5 Oester Farimagsgade, PO Box 2099, DK, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark; Fertility Department, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. Electronic address: Randi.lykke-sylvest@regionh.dk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Midwifery [Midwifery] 2024 Jul; Vol. 134, pp. 104013. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 21.
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2024.104013
Abstrakt: Problem: There has been an increase in the number of single women deciding to have children through the use of medically assisted reproduction (MAR). These women are referred to as 'single mothers by choice' (SMC).
Background: Previous studies have shown how SMC can feel stigmatised.
Aim: Explore if single women seeking fertility treatment in Denmark feel stigmatised.
Methods: Six single women undergoing MAR at a public fertility clinic in Denmark were interviewed. The interviews were audiotaped, anonymised, and transcribed in full, after provided written consent by the participants to take part in the study. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
Findings: The women would have preferred to have a child in a relationship with a partner. Despite their dream of the nuclear family meaning a family group consisting of two parents and their children (one or more), the women choose to become SMC because motherhood was of such importance, and they feared they would otherwise become too old to have children. The participants did not experience stigma or negative responses to their decision, but they all had an awareness of the prejudices other people might have towards SMC.
Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of the experiences of single women seeking fertility treatment in a welfare state where there are no differences in the possibilities for different social classes to seek MAR.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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