COVID-19 FAQs  

COVID-19 FAQs

Updated 4/26/2020

Our physicians, staff and patients believe that fertility care is an essential health service. We also all recognize the need to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and preserve critically needed local healthcare resources to address the pandemic, while simultaneously acknowledging the essential timeliness and importance of access to fertility treatment.

As the nation moves towards the criteria necessary for opening we wanted to update this page based on recent knowledge and guidance from up-to-date local experts, American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as it relates to pregnancy and lactation.

In the meantime, follow our popular media accounts and our website for information as it relates to those trying to conceive and COVID19 (aka “coronavirus”).

And remember, The CDC provides trusted content on COVID19 so, bookmark it!

Will my visit to the fertility clinic be any different? 
Yes. To some degree it will. You will be asked screening questions (similar to those found here) at the time of scheduling any appointment and then again outside the office before entering. You will be asked to wear a mask (cloth will suffice at the time of this writing) and scheduling/availability (including satellite offices at MOBAP and SHILOH) will be adjusted to accommodate ongoing social distancing guidelines. 

Can I proceed with fertility treatment if I meet diagnostic criteria for COVID-19? 
If you meet diagnostic criteria for treatment you will have to be 14 days symptom free before being allowed to proceed with fertility treatment.

What if I am infected with COVID-19 after finding out I am pregnant?
Check out the ACOG website noted above for deails regarding pregnancy.

Are you checking to see if my egg donor or gestational carrier are at risk of being infected with COVID-19? 
No change here. Yes. We are following the FDA’s recommendation and tracking updates here as it relates to third party reproduction. We are asking all tissue donors if they have, in the last 28 days:

  • traveled to areas with COVID-19 outbreaks, as defined by CDC
  • lived with individuals diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 infection; or
  • been diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 infection.

Furthermore, we are advising our third party agency partners to making sure they are also following the FDA’s guidance.

I read on the web that some Chinese scientists are suggesting the COVID-19 might disrupt sperm production. Is that true?  
At this time, there is no evidence to support this speculation. For background, a recent Newsweek article, quoted a non peer reviewed “short discussion” paper among a group of Chinese scientists speculating on whether COVID-19 might disrupt spermatogenesis. For all intents and purposes, this paper was intended to warn the medical and scientific community to investigate, and not one intended to be a public health pronouncement. We are monitoring case reports as the come from trusted sources like the CDC and WHO. In the meantime there is no evidence that sperm counts are compromised by those who are infected, and there is no recommendation to bank sperm. We will update this section as we learn more.