Between 2012 and 2022, the number of single women having IVF or donor insemination treatment increased from 1,400 to 4,800, the fertility regulator said. A new HFEA report highlights how egg freezing – a way for women to keep their fertility options open for later in life – is one of the “fasting growing” treatments.

The number of single women having these treatments, including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), has risen from 1,400 in 2012 to 4,800 in 2022, while the number of female couples treated has doubled to 3,300 over the same period. Heterosexual couples still account for nearly 90% of all IVF treatments.