DATE PUBLISHED: 26 Oct 2018 LAST UPDATED: 08 Jul 2021

Starting a family – known Donation and Co-parenting

Starting a family is exciting, and there is a lot to think about when you are planning your journey. You may decide to conceive with the help of someone you know (a known sperm donor). Some families are choosing ‘co-parenting’ arrangements, where the biological father (and his partner, if he has one) will have a degree of involvement in the child’s life.

If you are thinking of conceiving with the help of a known sperm donor or co-parenting with another person or couple, then it’s important that you carefully think things through, to ensure that you’re setting your arrangement up in the best way. Careful planning at an early stage can help to avoid disputes further down the line.

The first thing to consider is who the legal parents of your child will be, and this will depend on a number of factors, including where you conceive and the birth mother’s marital status at the time of conception. It’s really important to have a clear understanding of what everyone’s legal parental status will be once your child is born, and what practical consequences this may have in the future.

You also need to think about what your expectations are, and whether these are aligned. For example, are you all agreed as to the level of involvement (if any) the biological father will have? Have you decided whether he is donating with no expectation of having a relationship with the child, or is he envisaging a co-parenting arrangement? It’s crucial to make sure that you are all on the same page before you go ahead with your plans.

It’s helpful to have a written agreement, to set out your plans in black and white. This won’t be legally binding, but if you all work on it together, it can help you to identify and discuss areas which you haven’t yet considered, or things which you don’t agree on. We can help you with this.

If you are thinking of starting a family with the help of a known donor or a co-parent, get in touch with our specialist team who will be happy to help. Please call on 01202 525333 or send us an email at fertility@ellisjones.co.uk.

How can we help?

When you submit this form an email will be sent to the relevant department who will contact you within 48 hours. If you require urgent advice please call 01202 525333.

Make an enquiry

Related news

3 minute read

Some good news for fertility patients

Read more
minute read

How is Coronavirus affecting UK surrogacy arrangements?

Read more
minute read

Fertility treatments suspended due to Covid-19 pandemic

Read more
minute read

Intended parents going through international surrogacy facing challenges due to Covid-19

Read more