ASRM: Patient management and clinical recommendations during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic - fertility

Summary

This American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidance is in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.

Their goal is to provide practices with recommendations that guard the health and safety of their patients and staff, and recognise our social responsibility, as an organisation and as a community of providers and experts, to comply with national public health recommendations.

Content

This guidance recommends the following:

• Suspend initiation of new treatment cycles, including ovulation induction, intrauterine inseminations (IUIs), in vitro fertilisation (IVF) including retrievals and frozen embryo transfers, as well as non-urgent gamete cryopreservation.
• Strongly consider cancellation of all embryo transfers whether fresh or frozen.
• Continue to care for patients who are currently “in-cycle” or who require urgent stimulation and cryopreservation.
• Suspend elective surgeries and non-urgent diagnostic procedures.
• Minimise in-person interactions and increase utilisation of telehealth.

Note: This guidance will be revisited periodically as the pandemic evolves, but no later than March 30, 2020, with the aim of resuming usual patient care as soon and as safely as possible.