Donor conception
You may need to use an egg or sperm donor in order to create your family. IVF procedures are used to create an embryo or, in the case of a sperm donor, self insemination or IUI (intrauterine insemination) may take place.
If you wish to donate sperm to help someone create a family or, if you are looking to create a family by way of egg or sperm donor conception, please seek legal advice before you start the IVF or insemination process.
Creating a family by donor conception is not unusual but it comes with risks if you do not get advice before the process. Legal parent status is determined based on factors prior to IVF or insemination. Once parenthood status has been determined, it cannot be undone.
If you do not intend on having legal and financial obligations towards the child, make sure that you get legal advice on how you can donate sperm without becoming the legal father.
If you wish to use a known sperm donor but do not want the donor to be a legal parent, please get advice from us as soon as you have selected the donor. There are easy ways to ensure that the donor does not become the legal father but much depends on what is done prior to insemination or embryo transfer.
If you wish to co-parent with your donor, there are also ways for all three of you to have parental responsibility for the child. I advise that you have a co-parenting agreement to set out your joint intentions and obligations towards the child.
For advice on donor conception please contact me.