Single Parent Want Another Baby - Where to Begin?

[MsWrite]

Hi,

My child is almost ten and his father chose never to be involved. I spent the first few years of my child's life half-expecting to meet someone else, but as the years have gone on, it has never happened and I've realised recently that it is actually not what I want. I would honestly rather be alone than settle for a man who isn't what I want. I've heard the clichés about all the decent men being gay or taken and unfortunately, I've now reached a stage in life where they're proving to be true! Society conditions us to think that having a partner should be our ultimate goal, yet relationships come with so many complications and I am accustomed to life without a partner - just as my son is used to life without a dad. I am nearly 34 and have begun to think about my options. It's a bit of a minefield though and I'm not sure where to start! I want my son to have a sibling not just for now but for the future; he already has only half of his family so it is important that he has close relatives near to him when I am older - I don't want him to be stuck looking after old me on his own! I am leaning towards pregnancy by AI through a reputable clinic but I really don't know much about it. Does anyone have any experience of this / advice to offer?

I don't personally but my friend had a second baby by AI in London and there's plenty of support out there for AI lone mums. Have you tried googling?

Thank you! I have looked online and there's a dedicated US-based website but you have to pay to join. I thought I might find others with experience of this here, but I'll keep looking if I don't get any joy.Thanks for replying.

If you look at the HFEA website it's a good starting point to finding a clinic that offers appropriate treatment. (It's something I'm heading down the road towards at the moment...)

Be warned, though; donor sperm is INCREDIBLY expensive and IUI (intra-uterine insemination) actually has a fairly low success rate. It may actually be worth looking at IVF instead, it's more expensive but much more likely to work.

Hi. I used london women's clinic attached to London sperm bank and they were fine. I was mid thirties and did 4 rounds of iui, unsuccessfully and then one successful round of ivf. There's also the bridge clinic attached to London sperm bank, and the Lwc has 'branches' elsewhere. But sperm is expensive and iui has poor success rates. It's like a couple having sex once in a month when ovulation monitor suggests and on average it takes about 6 months to conceive having sex regularly so don't be surprised with lack of success. I thought it was worth it to try and avoid ivf which is a pretty major thing for your body, but ymmv. Good luck!