Childlessness by circumstance concerns individuals at an increasing rate, because the number of lonely people is growing and the birth rate is declining. Childlessness by circumstance is usually due to lack of partnership or some other social reason. This phenomenon is familiar to most people, but the term is new and poorly understood.

The purpose of this thesis was to produce new information for the commissioning organisation The Finnish Infertility Association Simpukka. The aim of this thesis was to collect single women´s experiences of how childlessness by circumstance affects their life. Another aim was to gather information on how they are received in healthcare, if the matter should be brought up and what form of support they might need. The material for this qualitative thesis was collected by thematically interviewing four single and childless women. The material was analysed using inductive content analysis.

Based on the results, childlessness by circumstance affects the mental and physical wellbeing. Childlessness is experienced like as “empty lap”, crises and some can get physical symptoms. Childless women may fill their free time with extra work although they want to enjoy normal everyday life without a child. The respondents have positive and negative experiences of addressing the topic. Almost every respondent expressed hopes and means of how this situation should be brought up in healthcare. In the future, the topic could, for example, be studied from the perspective of men in a similar situation or from that of older people who are childless by circumstance