{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:05:40Z","timestamp":1792785940425,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":36,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100010663","name":"European Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["803958"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["803958"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100010663","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme","award":["101019329"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["101019329"]}]},{"name":"Planck\u2014University of Helsinki Center from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation","id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03vxy9y38","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Single mothers \u2018by choice\u2019 who conceive through medically assisted reproduction (MAR) are a growing and understudied group. We examined how their infants\u2019 birth outcomes compare with other family types.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Using Finnish population register data (1996\u20132020), we examined five birth outcomes among first-born children: low birthweight (LBW), preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), gestational-age-adjusted birthweight, and gestational age. We compared children of (i) single MAR mothers (n\u2009=\u20092230) with those of (ii) single mothers who conceived spontaneously (SC; n\u2009=\u200936 352); (iii) partnered MAR mothers (n\u2009=\u200939 350); and (iv) partnered SC mothers (n\u2009=\u2009451 295). Regression models adjusted for maternal age, education, income, smoking, mental health, and multiplicity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In unadjusted analyses, children of single MAR mothers (reference) had higher risks of LBW and preterm and lower gestational age than those of partnered and single SC mothers [e.g. odds ratio (OR) for LBW = 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44\u20130.60 and 0.69; 95% CI 0.59\u20130.81, respectively]. After adjustments, differences relative to the partnered SC group largely attenuated (e.g. OR for LBW = 1.01; 95% CI 0.85\u20131.21), whereas outcomes were better than those of single SC and partnered MAR mothers (e.g. OR for LBW = 1.21; 95% CI 1.01\u20131.45 and 1.30; 95% CI 1.08\u20131.55, respectively). The relative advantage in SGA and gestational-age-adjusted birthweight also remained after adjustment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>After accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and multiplicity, children of single mothers \u2018by choice\u2019 had birth outcomes comparable to those of partnered SC mothers and more favourable than those of single SC and partnered MAR mothers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/ije\/dyag172","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T11:46:12Z","timestamp":1785930372000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Birth outcomes in single motherhood \u2018by choice\u2019: a register study of children conceived through medically assisted reproduction"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"55","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1359-1749","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alina","family":"Pelikh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London , London,","place":["United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanna","family":"Remes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Helsinki Institute for Demography and Population Health, University of Helsinki , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]},{"name":"Max Planck \u2013 University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mine","family":"K\u00fchn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University , Tilburg,","place":["The Netherlands"]},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research , Rostock,","place":["Germany"]},{"name":"Einstein Center Population Diversity , Berlin,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9374-1438","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pekka","family":"Martikainen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Helsinki Institute for Demography and Population Health, University of Helsinki , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]},{"name":"Max Planck \u2013 University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research , Rostock,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3038-0337","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alice","family":"Goisis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London , London,","place":["United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026102013362795400_dyag172-B1","author":"European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)","year":"2023"},{"key":"2026102013362795400_dyag172-B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195.e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2018.10.012","article-title":"Risk of severe maternal morbidity by maternal fertility status: a US study in 8 states","volume":"220","author":"Luke","year":"2019","journal-title":"Am J Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"2026102013362795400_dyag172-B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1093\/humupd\/dmz001","article-title":"The health of children conceived by ART: 'the chicken or the egg?'","volume":"25","author":"Berntsen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Hum Reprod Update"},{"key":"2026102013362795400_dyag172-B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1225","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(18)31863-4","article-title":"Medically assisted reproduction and birth outcomes: a within-family analysis using Finnish population registers","volume":"393","author":"Goisis","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"2026102013362795400_dyag172-B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0000000000004655","article-title":"Medically assisted reproduction treatment types and birth outcomes: a between-family and within-family analysis","volume":"139","author":"Pelikh","year":"2022","journal-title":"Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"2026102013362795400_dyag172-B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1177\/08912430001400100","article-title":"Doing the right thing? 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