Solo motherhood is on the rise in Australia, and Stephanie Dale's story reflects a growing shift in how people are choosing to build their families. A paediatric nurse in her early 40s, Stephanie made the decision to have a baby on her own after a significant relationship ended and years of dating left her unwilling to settle for the wrong partner. Her journey is the focus of the first episode of Fertility Unpacked, a three-part docuseries exploring modern fertility experiences.
The data supports what many clinics are already seeing on the ground. Genea has reported that single women accounted for 58% of its donor sperm patients in the last fiscal year, a substantial rise in this demographic. Dr Anne Clark, Medical Director of Fertility First (Genea Sydney South) and the first woman in Australia to hold the subspecialist qualification in reproductive medicine and infertility, has seen a massive increase in solo mums over her career. Women doing fertility treatment with donor sperm now make up 40% of her practice. Nationally, the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database (ANZARD) recorded single women making up 12.8% of all fertility treatment cycles in 2022, with more than 35,000 treatment cycles for single women counted over three years.
Stephanie's path to her son Flynn was not straightforward. Two rounds of intrauterine insemination were unsuccessful, and a subsequent round of IVF ended in miscarriage at nine weeks. With one embryo remaining, her final transfer was successful. Flynn is now nine months old.
Her story is one of grief, resilience, and clarity about what matters most. She was deliberate in choosing a local donor so Flynn would have the option to connect with him at 18, and she is clear-eyed about the realities of raising a child on a single income. What she is equally clear about is that her son will grow up surrounded by love.
Dr Anne Clark
Anne trained as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist before becoming the first female doctor in Australia to obtain the CREI subspecialist qualification in reproductive medicine and fertility more than 28 years ago. She is currently Medical Director of Fertility First, which is an IVF and Fertility Clinic that also focuses on lifestyle modifications and peri-conception health to maximise a couple’s fertility and healthy ongoing pregnancies.
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