Single Motherhood by Choice: Your Family, Your Way

December 09, 2025•5 min read

For many women, becoming a mother doesn’t follow a straight path. Career goals, timing, and the search for the “right” partner can make parenthood feel uncertain or complicated. When the traditional paths don’t align with life as it unfolds, many women are left asking themselves: How do you create a family on your own terms?

Women today are exploring new ways to take charge of their fertility and family planning. From IVF and donor conception to guidance, counseling, and supportive communities, they are redefining what it means to build a family on their own terms.

This week at Health University, we spoke with Cheri Bergeron, author, life coach, and founder of Cheri’s Choice. Through her journey of becoming a mother without a partner and her work helping women navigate non-traditional paths to parenthood, Cheri shows that love, preparation, and informed choices define a family.

“If the glass slipper doesn't fit, screw that fairy tale.” - Cheri Bergeron

Single Motherhood by Choice is an Option

Choosing single motherhood challenges the assumption that a family must include two parents. Women considering this path often face societal pressures and questions about whether a child can thrive outside a traditional household. These concerns can feel overwhelming, but they are part of a larger conversation about redefining family.

Pursuing parenthood independently is an intentional and thoughtful process. Women explore reproductive options such as IVF, donor sperm, or egg donation, while also planning logistics, finances, and support systems. Connecting with educational resources, counseling, and communities of like-minded women helps provide clarity, guidance, and reassurance throughout the journey.

Single motherhood by choice is a proactive way to build a family on one’s own terms, aligning parenting with personal values, timing, and circumstances rather than societal expectations.

Understanding Fertility and Timing

Fertility naturally declines with age, and IVF success drops significantly after 35, with even lower chances by 40. Assisted reproductive options — IVF, donor sperm, or egg donation — help women navigate these challenges and take control of timing.

Egg freezing offers an opportunity to preserve fertility, aligning parenthood with personal goals or career plans. Learning about reproductive health and options in the mid-20s gives women the knowledge to plan proactively before age becomes a limiting factor.

Practical Tips for Single Motherhood

Planning for single motherhood involves thoughtful preparation, informed decision-making, and accessing the right support. Women considering this path can take deliberate steps to ensure they are ready emotionally, physically, and practically.

Self-Reflection and Readiness: Before pursuing motherhood, it’s important to reflect on your goals and motivations. Understanding your emotional readiness and long-term vision for parenthood helps create a foundation for thoughtful decision-making rather than reactive choices.

Lifestyle and Health Optimization: Optimizing overall wellness supports reproductive health and prepares the body for conception. This includes focusing on nutrition, managing stress, and maintaining routines that promote physical and emotional resilience.

Family-Building Alternatives: Single motherhood can be achieved through multiple pathways, each offering unique opportunities and considerations. Options include donor conception, IVF, surrogacy, and combinations of these approaches. Learning about each path allows women to choose what aligns with their goals, values, and timelines.

Support Systems and Guidance: Counseling, coaching, and educational workshops provide vital guidance through the fertility journey. These resources help women make informed decisions, navigate challenges, and gain confidence in their choices.

Building a Supportive Community: Establishing a network of friends, family, and like-minded peers helps create a stable and nurturing environment. This “village” offers practical support, emotional encouragement, and a sense of belonging, all of which are essential when raising a child independently.

Cheri’s Choice Foundation

Founded by Cheri Bergeron, Cheri’s Choice Foundation was created to address a gap in women’s reproductive education — helping young women understand their fertility earlier in life, before timing becomes a barrier. The foundation focuses on teaching women how fertility changes with age, what options exist for future family building, and how single motherhood by choice can be an intentional and empowered path.

Through workshops, coaching, and educational resources, Cheri’s Choice supports women in exploring their motherhood options with clarity and confidence. The foundation also connects women with trusted providers, helping them make informed decisions as they plan for parenthood on their own terms.

At its core, Cheri’s Choice provides knowledge, guidance, and encouragement so women can move toward motherhood feeling prepared and supported.

Check out all of our episodes on the following platforms:

https://susanfox1.easywebinar.live/gentle-detox

Know the status of your fertility health. Take our FREE Fertility Quiz now: http://yourfertilityquiz.com/

Fulfill your dream of a family. Know your best options for a healthy pregnancy: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/programs

Boost Employee Productivity by Investing in their Fertility Health. Check out our Corporate Wellness program and know the benefits it can bring to your company: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/corporate-wellness

Cheri Bergeron is a women’s fertility and family-building expert, guiding women through non-traditional paths to motherhood with clarity and confidence. Drawing on her personal experience as a mother through IVF and donor conception, she combines coaching, education, and advocacy to help women navigate fertility challenges and create families on their own terms.

Link to book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4k7VNqE

Author website: www.cheribergeron.com

Cheri’s Choice (nonprofit): www.cherischoice.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheribergeron

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionmotherhood/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/screwthefairytale

Medical Disclaimer:

By listening to the Health Youniversity podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition for yourself or others. Consult your healthcare provider for any medical issues you may have. This entire disclaimer also pertains to any guests or contributors to any Health Youniversity podcast.

Dr. Susan Fox

I am a women’s health expert with a specialty in working with women and couples navigating fertility challenges for more than 20 years. I look forward to helping you realize your dream of family. I’m also a mother, a sister, a friend. I live in beautiful Northern California, where the nature of Mt. Tamalpais, the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay are my backyard. Traditional Chinese Medicine discovered me in 1978, when I was struggling with digestive complaints that flummoxed medical doctors. It wasn’t until I received my first acupuncture treatment and herbal prescription that I connected my medical condition to grief over loss of a loved one; that the stress of holding in such huge emotions was literally tying me up in knots, and I was finally able to heal. Discovering the powerful links between the physical, the mental, the emotional, the spiritual, and the environmental shifted my understanding of health and wellness forever. For more than 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of learning and implementing Whole Systems Traditional Chinese Medicine to understand the root causes of health conditions and realize optimal health and well-being. I am a strong believer in the importance of health education, for knowledge is power when you have the tools for effective self care.

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