The many different perspectives on this threat are heartwarming- not any one route is a guarantee way to achieve happiness, therefore you search deep in your own soul and decide what it is that you want and consider important.
So, I will add mine.
I am grateful for living an authentic life that I had this conversation both at early 30s and mid 30s with MYSELF.
No disrespect to single parents (heck my mum brought 5 of us up after my dad died and she did a stellar job whilst holding down a full time job), however I was clear I did not want to knowingly choose the single parent route. What I wanted more was a companion, so I was willing to wait. It helps that I adopted an orphan when I was 25 yo ( and she was 2 years) and put her through private education (costly) because it is what was suitable for her needs (state wasn't suitable so I removed her) although I didn't live with her- my mother, her grandmother lived and still lives with her. So I had first hand knowledge of raising a child, even from a far. Her teenage years were extremely difficult but she has moved past that phase. She is still in my life, from afar- just spent 5 months with her which were lovely.
So, if I had been clear it is a child I wanted at all cost, I would have gone the donor route, maybe downsized from my 2 bed flat I owned to 1 bed or even a studio to facilitate that. And take a hit on my demanding career. So it is all about choices.
To this day, what saved my sanity during those prolonged single hood days, was that I liked focusing on my demanding career and did so to a senior level and earned a comfortable living.I was also crystal clear I did not want the sperm donor route.
Also, I do not mind step kids- even if there were 6/7/8 yo if that would be my family. I genuinely love kids (all kids) and have never seen the need to have birthed them myself to be the prerequisite to having them/ adult kids in my life. Mine was driven by the fact that I am did want 1) a family as a natural thing. The secondary reason when I couldn't have that family naturally or time was running out, was 2) because I am wise, above average (you have to be to do my job), patient, calm and one of those women blessed with good looks- so I did fancy passing on all or some of my genes and knowledge- as you can see, that's not (2)a good enough reason to give birth at all cost.
Therefore, what you need, is to look after yourself, do the things you enjoy, relax until you are able to soul searching and work out what you really want. If you need to cry after realising what you really want, do. I was quite humbled by the fact that I faced my soul as raw as it was and not pretend I knew what I really wanted.
I did try to freeze my eggs (on advice of a learned DR who I just met by chance, so I thought why not?) when nearly 39 but the clinic just wanted embryos and for a time I was upset about that, however, a few years on, I am glad I didn't do it as I feel, having gone through a demanding career and 5;40am wake ups, my body just needs a rest.
My DH has asked if I want to adopt, but I really just don't want to START that responsibility of dropping and picking up a child 4/5/6/7 yo from now for the next 18 years.
It helps I come from a large family as pointed above and have many nieces and nephews who I am happy to assume parenthood with at any time. So, my situation and considerations are totally different.
However, I can still look at all this again, if we make lots of money than we know what to do with it- we run a business- and full help will definitely be on hand, so I don't wreck my health trying to be a mum, which is what I would definitely need.
Also, I might get grandkids from nieces although I don't want to live with the babies full time, so I can consider living near them to help out ocassionally- but that's in 5/10 years, so not immediate.
Good luck.