Patient Information for Treatment at the WASHU/BJC Reproductive Center during COVID-19 Pandemic

Please keep in mind that all of these recommendations are in place to minimize the risk to you, your family, and to our physicians and staff.

Visitors/Partners

  • Visitors and partners are not currently permitted during clinic visits. If you are unable to attend the visit on your own for any reason, please notify your physician so we may understand your situation and discuss accommodation.
  • The use of video or phone conferencing is strongly encouraged when a family member, friend, or significant other would like to be included during a clinic visit.
  • For egg retrievals, patients must be accompanied by a partner or 1 designated driver who should remain in the patient’s vehicle for the duration of the visit.
  • For embryo transfers, one person is now (effective 6/9/2020) permitted to accompany the patient.

Symptoms:
If you develop symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, or are suspicious that you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please contact our office.

Masks:
A social distancing mask (e.g. cloth sufficient) is required for all appointments. If you do not have one, one can be provided for you.

Sanitizing:
All rooms, keyboards, door handles, light switches, keyboards, chairs and benches, etc will be wiped down before and after each visit per CDC guidelines.

Appointment spacing, appointment times:
While we have resumed clinical services, we are not operating at full capacity, in order to minimize crowding and comply with social distancing. As a results, appointments and procedures will be spaced and capped, with every effort made to accommodate all patients. The parking lot will be the new “waiting room.” Patients will be notified by phone/text when to leave their cars and enter the building. Before entry into clinic, your temperature will be taken for COVID-19 screening.  If you are late, please call the clinic as you may be re-assigned a new appointment time.  We will NOT have a waiting room available at this time in order to promote appropriate social distancing.

Semen Analyses / Collections for IUI and on the day of egg retrievals:
All patients can use sterile specimen containers (like this) for semen analyses and collections so long as they can bring the sample to our office within 1 (preferable) hour of ejaculation. Make sure you fill out this form and bring it along with your sample. After you arrive in our parking lot, you will be contacted to bring the specimen into the clinic. The sperm sample will be brought in either by the male who collected (semen analysis) or the female patient that will be undergoing IUI, if that is the plan. For IUIs, the patient will wait in their vehicle while the sample is prepared and they will be called when the sample is ready for IUI.

For those traveling from >1 hour away and doing:
semen analysis – samples are good up to 2 hours from collection to delivery. If > 2 hours, please talk to your team to make specific arrangements.
IUIs and/or semen collection on the day of egg retrieval – patients will collect onsite in our collection rooms.