At Midlife, Intentionally Childfree Women and Their Experiences of Regret

Based on the author’s exploratory qualitative study of the experiences at midlife of 15 intentionally childfree married or partnered women, this paper focuses on one finding and related themes. A constructivist grounded theory methodology guided data collection in many areas of midlife, including regret, menopause, and relationships. The data suggested that for most in the study, menopause, perimenopause, and reaching midlife did not awaken feelings of regret over their decision to live childfree. The author discusses implications for clinical work with childfree women at midlife.