Legal Definitions - assisted conception

Assisted conception is a term used in family law to describe the fertilization of a woman's egg with a man's sperm using methods other than sexual intercourse. This can include:

• Artificial insemination
• In vitro fertilization
• Gamete intra-fallopian transfer
• Zygote intra-fallopian transfer

For example, in vitro fertilization involves fertilizing a woman's egg with a man's sperm in a laboratory dish, and then transferring the resulting embryo to the woman's uterus. This can be helpful for couples who are struggling with infertility or who have genetic disorders they do not want to pass on to their children.

Assisted conception can be a complex and expensive process, but it has helped many couples start families who might not have been able to otherwise.