The American Society for Reproductive Medicine continues to keep health professionals and patients up to date on all things related to the Coronavirus and how best to manage patients, as well as recommendations for clinics across the country. As promised, we at The Surrogacy Center aim to keep you well informed as we learn ways to keep our clients and ourselves safe and healthy. As of June 8, 2020, the ASRM COVID-19 Task Force has provided the following information:

  • To date, there are almost 6.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with over 1.9 million confirmed cases in the United States alone.
  • Prospective research is critically needed as fertility clinics reinitiate care regarding the impact of COVID-19 on both patient response to fertility treatments and on early pregnancy.
  • All infertility patients need to be counseled extensively on both the risks and benefits of initiating fertility treatment during the pandemic, which should include the increased risk of complications to patients with certain medical conditions if they become infected with COVID-19.
  • Practices are strongly advised to provide every patient with an up to date list of resources for support and counseling with someone who specializes in fertility/infertility counseling in reproductive medicine.
  • There are psychological and emotional benefits to having partners present during fertility procedures, and ASRM supports the involvement and inclusion of all partners during fertility treatment and family building planning whenever possible, however, safety considerations necessitate limiting the number of people allowed in clinical suites during said procedures. Hospital or practice guidelines must always be respected. Patients should also be encouraged to use alternative methods of participation when not able to be physically present.

“The role of ASRM during this pandemic is to proactively blunt the impact of this pandemic, while recognizing the need to safeguard limited health infrastructure resources. However, we (ASRM) understand our patients’ time-sensitive aspirations to achieve pregnancy, and as such, will regularly reassess these recommendations with a hope to resume initiation of comprehensive fertility care as soon as possible.”