Fertility care amidst the COVID19 pandemic: the American experience

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: David Schirmer, Emory University; Jennifer Kawwass, Emory University; Eli Y. Adashi, Brown University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-02-18
• Publisher: BMC Publishing
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s). 2021.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13048-021-00782-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Ovarian Research
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 34
• End Page: 34
• Grant/Funding Information: There was no outside funding provided for this commentary.
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Reproductive Biology
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Human Development; Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of over one million people worldwide, and has affected all aspects of healthcare worldwide, including the delivery of care to patients with fertility-related diagnoses. In the United States, the response of US fertility clinics to the COVID-19 pandemic was coordinated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). ASRM acted quickly to develop guidelines for limiting fertility treatment and clinic consultations during the early days of the pandemic, and then safely restarting fertility treatment. A survey of patients with fertility-related diagnoses who presented for care during the first months of the pandemic revealed that a majority of patients who presented for care during the early months of the pandemic experienced delayed or cancelled treatment cycles. Patients with infertility subsequently reported a desire to resume fertility care, but emphasized the importance of their clinic having policies and procedures in place to limit the risk of infection.