O-019 COVID – Impact on reproduction and reproductive practice

Abstract textA highly infectious novel coronavirus (now referred to as SARS-CoV-2) was first noted in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and by March 11, 2020, was declared a global pandemic by the WHO. The widespread community transmission of a virus, new to our species, continues to raise urgent questions about implications for pregnant women and those considering conception. Almost immediately, international committees, including ASRM and ESHRE, drew up guidelines to protect the public and our patients. Across the globe, clinics were closed, patients turned away and questions regarding spread of the virus, safety during early pregnancy and potential impact on fertility and pregnancy began to arise. Where are we now? What have we learned? And what more do we need to know to improve our ability to care for and counsel our patients?Clinic Practice – While there was considerable controversy in the U.S., closing clinics was the correct course of action when an unknown virus had entered our countries and so little was known and resources (think NY, think Italy) were inadequate. The majority of clinics pivoted to more virtual visits and stopped transfers and retrievals. The duration of these changes varied across states and countries, with most clinics now functioning at full capacity for procedures but still utilizing virtual visits for many patients. We will discuss what we learned from this process, including impact on clinics and pati ents, as well as the greate...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research