Michael Doyle, MD

Dear Michael: What’s the best method of conception for co-parents, NI or AI?

Dear Drake: whether you decide that Natural Insemination (NI) or Artificial Insemination (AI) is the right method for you and your co-parent will depend on many issues. You can find a comparison of the different methods of conception for co-parenting partners in FamilyByDesign’s Conception Options Chart.  Best of luck!

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Bill Singer, Esq.

Dear Bill: I’m thinking about co-parenting but concerned the father could seek full custody. Could I have him sign a document stating he will never ask custody?

Dear Lilly: I admire you for giving serious consideration to all possibilities before embarking on a co-parenting partnership. If your parenting partner will have legal status as a parent, he will have equal rights for custody and visitation. Generally, a right to custody includes decisions as to where the child lives, health issues, educational and…

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Dorothy Greenfeld, LCSW

Dear Dorothy: My co-parent and I have made 6 attempts to get pregnant with no luck. How can I tell if I’m getting depressed by these failed efforts?

Dear Sarah: If you are depressed, you’re not alone – this is a common occurrence with failed attempts at fertility. Things to look out for include feelings of isolation / loneliness, a change in your eating or sleeping patterns, losing interest in your regular activities and constantly thinking about issues relating to your fertility all…

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Bill Singer, Esq.

Dear Bill: What’s the difference between a co-parenting agreement and a sperm donor agreement?

Dear To Be or Not To Be: The answer to your question is determining whether the sperm donor wants to be a parent or not. If the donor has the intention of playing a role as parent, you need a co-parenting agreement.  If the donor wants to be released from all rights and responsibilities, you…

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Anthony Brown

Dear Anthony: I live in California, but my co-parent and our child live in New York. When it comes to financial obligations as a parent, which state’s laws will apply?

The answer depends on how long your child has lived in New York.  There is a federal statute, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act of 1997 which gives “exclusive and continuing” jurisdiction to a child custody matter and, for the purposes of this question, a support obligation issue, to the “home state” of…

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Bill Singer, Esq.

Dear Bill: What clause in a co-parenting agreement is typically the most important to draft carefully?

Dear Quizzical: The only thing I can predict about co-parenting is that change will occur.  Changes in how each parent feels, changes in what the child needs and changes that no one could predict in advance. My advice is to work hardest on sections regarding how you will jointly mediate and modify the agreement as…

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Anthony Brown

Dear Anthony: I’m a “known donor” but not a legal parent to my child. Does the fact that I’m not a legal parent affect the availability of tax breaks if I’m providing financial support?

If you have surrendered your parental rights, or if they have been terminated, you are not entitled to claim the child under 26 U.S.C. Section 152 as a dependent.  One requirement for a parent to claim their child as a dependent is that they have resided with the child for at least one half of…

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admin

Dear Michael: I am now 35 and want to find a parent partner before having a child. Is now a good time to freeze my eggs until I meet him? Or can I wait a few more years?

Age is certainly one factor that can be used to predict the likelihood of achieving pregnancy both now and in the future. But there are others as well, including your pregnancy history (if you have one) , your current cycle ( how regular your ovulation is) and specific medical screening tests that can be used…

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Bill Singer, Esq.

I’ve recently heard the term “de facto parent” used where a court found someone to be a parent later on in a child’s life. How does this work?

In modern family life, there are many examples where more than two adults can function as a child’s parent. While this has historically happened after divorce and remarriage with a step-parent, the rise of parenting partnerships has also created situations where a child may receive love, care and attention from multiple parenting figures. Despite the…

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admin

Am I more likely to become pregnant by going the “natural insemination” method – sexual intercourse – with my co-parent, as compared to the “home insemination” method with a cup and a syringe?

Whether (and when) you become pregnant is more likely going to be determined by the relative fertility of the man and woman attempting to conceive  than whether the sperm is “introduced” through intercourse or a home insemination.

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