Mr Right?

Single women are abandoning their hunt for Mr Perfect and settling for Mr Family Man instead, a study by London Fertility Centre, part of Spire Fertility, reveals.

Researchers found one in ten married women gave up searching for their ideal partner, amid worries their biological clock was ticking. Instead, they settled down with a man who they believe will make a good father, even though he may not tick all the other boxes.

It also emerged that over a third of single women said if they don’t meet 'the one' in time to have a child they would consider ‘going it alone’ and having fertility treatment.

64 per cent of those defended their decision saying they were determined to have a child whether it's with or without a partner and 35 per cent said that one decent parent is better than two bad ones.

In the study, findings revealed over one in ten married women did in fact settle for a partner purely because their need to have a baby was so strong.

Of those, 15 per cent said they are glad they ‘made do’ with their other half, but 60 per cent said they wished they had persevered and waited to find Mr Right.

The findings emerged in the study conducted by Spire Fertility, a UK network of fertility clinics, which found 35 per cent of women think they have missed the boat when it comes to motherhood because they have always been holding out for 'the one'.

Nearly four in ten females said they are increasingly worried that time is running out for them to start a family.

Subsequently 27 per cent of single women claim to be continually 'on the hunt' for a father to their unborn children. So much so that one in 20 females admit to quizzing any potential suitors to assess their ability to be a good parent.

Dr Magdy Asaad from Spire Fertility said: ''At London Fertility Centre, part of Spire Fertility network, we frequently receive enquires from both single women and men who are researching their options for starting a family as they get older. Times have changed and being a single parent now is more commonplace than it was, say, 20 or 30 years ago".

“We have seen increasing numbers of people coming to us for fertility tests, which tell them how long they can wait before starting a family, as well as more women who are freezing their eggs so they can try parenthood later in life.”

Three quarters of adults questioned believe women are more eager to settle down than men and age 44 was found to be the age that women were considered ‘too old’ to have a child.

Men, on the other hand, were said to be over the hill in terms of fatherhood at 47 and a half.

And it's not just finding an ideal husband that seems to be keeping singletons from parenthood - 27 per cent of women said they have prioritised their career over starting a family.

And a third said they have always worried they wouldn't be able to afford to have children.

Dr Asaad added: ''Considering what age is best to have children, at what point in your career and who you should have them with all cannot be taken lightly, but should your relationships not pan out the way you had hoped it doesn't necessarily mean you won't ever become a parent”.

''Fertility treatments have come a long way and there are now a variety of options for single people or those who have left it until slightly later in life who want to have a family.”

“Aside from options like egg and sperm freezing, people can help preserve their fertility by leading a healthy lifestyle: stopping smoking, cutting out alcohol and improving diet and overall fitness.”

The study found that 80 per cent of single women said they thought many people take having children for granted.