Legal Definitions - assisted conception

Assisted conception refers to any medical process designed to help individuals or couples achieve pregnancy by fertilizing an egg with sperm through methods other than sexual intercourse.

• Example 1: A married couple, Sarah and Tom, have been trying to conceive for several years without success due to Sarah's blocked fallopian tubes. They decide to pursue In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). During this process, Sarah's eggs are retrieved, fertilized with Tom's sperm in a laboratory dish, and then the resulting embryos are transferred into Sarah's uterus.

  This situation illustrates assisted conception because the fertilization of Sarah's eggs by Tom's sperm occurs outside the body, in a laboratory setting, and the pregnancy is initiated through the medical transfer of an embryo, entirely bypassing sexual intercourse.

• Example 2: Emily, a single woman, wishes to start a family. She chooses to undergo Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) using sperm from a donor. A medical professional carefully inserts the prepared donor sperm directly into Emily's uterus during her fertile window.

  This scenario is an example of assisted conception because Emily's pregnancy is achieved through the medical introduction of sperm into her reproductive tract, rather than through sexual intercourse. The process facilitates the fertilization of her egg by donor sperm using clinical intervention.