Fertility Clinics & IVF Agreement Lawyer

Fertility Clinics & IVF Agreement Lawyer Serving New York, Connecticut, Maine & New Hampshire

If you are seeking reproductive care from a medical provider you will be presented with a stack of forms to complete at your initial visit in order to establish care.  These forms are agreements between you as patient, and your IVF clinic as provider, and include liability waivers, consents for treatment, and other important terms.  Your elections on these forms can have lasting unintended consequences.

• ​Where and how will your genetic material be stored?
• Who has access to your medical data?
• Who has control over the future disposition of your embryos?
• What happens if you and your partner disagree about what to do with your embryos?

​Resources

• Email
• IVF Today
• 8 Trends in Reproductive Medicine

Fertility Clinics Forms and IVF Agreements

If you are undergoing fertility treatment, with or without a partner, and with or without a third party, you have a number of items to consider – medical, emotional, financial, and legal.  The one commonality for all fertility patients is that you will be presented with a stack of fertility clinic forms to complete before you can receive fertility care.  Fertility clinic forms require careful review and completion at a time when emotions are running high and timing of treatment is of critical importance.  The designations you provide on these forms can impact what happens to your embryos in the future, and whether or not you will be able to move forward with family building with embryos you created with a partner.

We help individuals understand the consequences of their designations on these forms, and determine whether or not they are sufficient to address an individual’s family planning or whether an embryo disposition agreement or other IVF agreement is advisable.

The role of a fertility attorney is to ensure you understand your IVF clinic forms, to protect your reproductive options now and in the future, and to determine how to secure your parental rights if your family building plans include a gamete donor, embryo donor, or gestational surrogate.  If you are creating embryos with a partner or spouse, you should consider whether an embryo disposition agreement may be right for you.  Disputes over embryos are becoming increasingly common as Americans pursue IVF in record numbers, and in the absence of an embryo disposition agreement, fertility clinic forms matter.

The Legal Landscape Regarding Disputes and Disposition of Embryos is  Evolving

The legal status of embryos varies from state to state, and what may be available to patients in one state in the form of reproductive options may not be true in another state.  It’s important to understand the laws in your jurisdiction when you pursue family building through IVF, assisted reproduction, egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, or gestational surrogacy.  This is especially true for LGBTQ+ individuals pursuing family building who may reside in a state or jurisdiction with fewer options available.

Working With a Fertility Lawyer

It’s essential to work with an attorney who understands the overlap between reproductive medicine, legislation, and policy as it applies to family building through assisted reproduction, and the unique needs of modern families. Janene Oleaga is a leading legal voice in reproductive rights and fertility, with a focus on protecting your through all stages of your family building.

• Oleaga Law LLC focuses exclusively on family formation law and reproductive rights and handles matters including: embryo disposition agreements, prenuptial agreements addressing cryopreserved genetic material, gestational surrogacy arrangements, egg donations, sperm donations, embryo donations, and parentage matters of all forms.  We provide more than just general legal advice, and can assist you in navigating the entirety of your family building journey.
• Licensed in New York, Connecticut, Maine & New Hampshire, Janene is able to represent families and birth parents across multiple jurisdictions, and properly handle conflict of law issues.
• Our founding attorney’s background in international law is especially valuable for clients with reproductive materials stored abroad, fertility treatment in other countries, cross-border donor arrangements, and gestational surrogacy arrangements for international parents in the US, and domestic parents abroad.
• We have extensive experience supporting LGBTQ+ parents, single parents, and non-traditional family structures, including the legal recognition of three parents through assisted reproduction in the landmark case of Matter of Baby DKN.
• Our fertility clinics and IVF agreement attorney has held leadership roles in national fertility law organizations and has been honored for her work, including being named to Maine Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.

If you have questions about your reproductive options or family building goals, contact Oleaga Law, LLC tfor an initial consultation to ask your questions and learn how we can support you on your path to parenthood.