What are IVF consent forms?

The importance of consent forms

When people visit our clinic for IVF treatment, they often have just one thing on their mind: getting pregnant. Patients often tell us that they remember very little from their initial meetings, with lots of fertility jargon being used that they struggle to understand, and that they find it difficult to concentrate or focus. 

And then, once they think they’re done with the talking, all the various forms come out. They’ve often told us they sign things in a bit of a blur, with them wanting to get right to treatment.

But before treatment can start, it’s essential that you complete several consent forms. These forms ensure you fully understand your proposed treatment and its implications. While the paperwork can seem extensive, it’s designed to make your treatment as safe and effective as it can be, adhering to the legal requirements governing fertility treatment.

So, what’s all the paperwork about?

Consent for Treatment

A Consent for Treatment form, like those for medical or surgical procedures, seeks your consent for all necessary procedures involved in IVF treatment. These include egg collection and embryo transfer.

It’s important that you fully understand what you’re consenting to before you complete this form, so if you have any questions about your treatment, like whether sedation or anaesthesia will be used or what the associated risks are, make sure you ask them at this stage.

Consent to Disclosure of Information (CD forms)

Each partner undergoing IVF treatment needs to complete a CD form from the HFEA. While your confidentiality is legally protected, you can choose to let your clinic share your information with your GP and other medical professionals involved in your ongoing care. Giving consent for administrative and audit staff to access your information is recommended to make the service more efficient and to help improve the quality of future treatment.

Your clinic is legally obliged to share specific information with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK’s independent fertility treatment regulator. You can choose to consent to or decline the release of identifying information for research purposes. Participating in research is optional and won’t affect your treatment.

Consent to Use and Storage of Sperm, Eggs, and/or Embryos 

This form allows you to consent to the use of your gametes (reproductive cells) and embryos for treatment, research or training, as well as their storage. It’s important that you fully understand the nature of your treatment and its implications before giving consent. You should also specify any additional conditions for the usage or storage of your gametes and embryos.

UK law permits you to store gametes or embryos for any amount of time up to a maximum of 55 years from the date that the gametes or embryos are first put into storage. However, you’ll need to renew your consent every 10 years.

This form also details what should happen to your gametes and embryos if you become permanently incapacitated or die.

Consent to Parenthood

You’ll need to complete this form if you’re using donor sperm, donor eggs or in vitro embryos created with donor sperm. This ensures legal recognition of the child’s father or second parent. The HFEA website and patient information leaflets you’ll be given provide full details on what legal parentage entails.

You might want to consider seeking independent legal advice for support with this, and you should be aware that the law distinguishes between legal status and parental responsibility.

Withdrawing, varying and restricting consent

One or both parties can withdraw their consent to any procedure at any time. This can happen after a relationship breakdown, so it’s always worth talking this through with anyone you’re starting treatment with. At Lister Fertility Clinic, we offer support at every stage of treatment to help you navigate these conversations and decisions.

If someone withdraws their consent for embryos to be stored or used in treatment, we follow these steps:

• When the patient contacts the clinic, the paperwork for the stored embryos will be clearly marked as in dispute and not to be used.
• The party withdrawing consent is informed that the clinic will contact the other party to advise them that consent has been withdrawn. They’ll then need to complete an HFEA Withdrawing Consent Form.
• If both parties consent to the withdrawal, embryos can be removed from storage.
• If there’s a dispute, both parties are given a 12-month “cooling off” period before the embryos can be removed from storage. One month before the end of the cooling off period, the clinic will contact both parties to see if a mutual decision has been made regarding the embryos. At the end of this period, the embryos will be removed from storage.
• No embryos will be kept in storage beyond the statutory storage period.

You retain the right to withdraw or modify your consent at any time without providing a specific reason. Notification of withdrawal or modification should be in writing, and an updated set of forms will be required, which will need an appointment with our team.

You shouldn’t consent to treatment until you’ve received all the information you need to fully understand its implications. If you require additional information, please feel free to ask. We’re committed to helping you to understand your treatment options and maintain control over your healthcare.