Guest Blog Post: Dr. Ellen Hayes with the Latest Update on COVID-19 for Fertility Patients

We are grateful to Dr. Ellen Hayes of Vios Fertility Institute for taking the time to provide us with an update on COVID-19 and its effects on fertility and pregnancy as we currently understand it.

For those of you coping with infertility, the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated what was already a very difficult journey both physically and emotionally. Early in the pandemic, fertility treatment cycles were halted temporarily to assess the potential risk to patients and healthcare professionals during this unprecedented time. For those of you with treatment cycles that were affected by this in March and April, I am truly sorry for what you went through.

We have now reached a point where we have a better understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on fertility treatment and pregnancy and continue to learn more everyday through many ongoing research studies. What we have learned over the past few months has allowed fertility providers to put measures in place to maximize your safety during treatment.

It is important to know that at no time during the pandemic, did the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say that women needed to avoid getting pregnant. In their most recent update from August 12, 2020, they summarize what we now know about women who are infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy from ongoing studies and data analyzed by the CDC looking at outcomes for over 8,000 women.

• Although risk for pregnant women with COVID-19 is higher than non-pregnant individuals, the overall risk to pregnant women is still low.

• Pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be at increased risk for more severe disease including increased risk of admission to the ICU and increased risk for mechanical ventilation, but do not appear to be at increased risk of mortality.

• Pregnant women who become actively ill with COVID-19 may be at increased risk for early labor and delivery, however full-term infants delivered by mothers with active COVID-19 infections appear to do well.

• Vertical transmission (from mother to baby in-utero) has been reported but is rare.

• Pregnant women with other co-morbidities, such as obesity, heart disease, lung disease, or impaired immune systems, appear to be at the highest risk for severe disease.

 
What does this mean for women actively trying for pregnancy or currently undergoing fertility treatment? The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, in their most recent guidelines issued on August 10, 2020, no longer recommends against proceeding with fertility treatment, but they do continue to emphasize safety and CDC recommendations to prevent infection such as:

• Conducting visits with your provider via telehealth when possible

• Avoiding infected or potentially infected individuals

• Maintaining social distancing and avoiding large gatherings of people

• Wearing a mask in public

• Frequent hand washing and thorough surface cleaning

At Vios Fertility Institute, we quickly adopted these recommendations and have many other measures in place for your safety like having patients wait in their car until they are called up to our office for their scheduled appointment, screening questions and vital signs for every patient as well as staff member who enters our office, and thorough cleaning of patient rooms and common areas between each patient. These steps, as well as conducting all consultations via telemedicine are keeping our office staff and patients as safe as possible. At this time, Vios patients will not have their treatment delayed unless they or their partner develop an active COVID-19 infection.

Experiencing infertility and undergoing fertility treatment is undeniably stressful even without a global pandemic to deal with, and studies show that we may be experiencing another pandemic in the form of a mental health crisis right now. Studies show that during fertility care, 76% of women experience clinical anxiety and 56% experience clinical depression. Now more than ever, while the focus is certainly on maintaining physical health, emotional health is also at stake and reaching out for help when you need it is critical.

Choosing to proceed with fertility treatment during the current COVID-19 pandemic is a very personal decision where one must weigh the risks from the virus with the risks of delaying treatment for what is currently an unclear length of time. In an ever-changing landscape where more is learned on a daily basis, consulting with a fertility provider to discuss your individual situation and undergoing a fertility evaluation will allow you to make your best decision as you continue to work toward the family of your dreams.

Dr. Ellen Hayes is a Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist at Vios Fertility Institute in the Milwaukee region and throughout the state of Wisconsin. Dr. Hayes has been dedicated to assisting patients experiencing infertility issues for over 15 years, and has been providing compassionate, individualized care to her patients with access to the most advanced, state-of-the-art treatment options available. She received her medical degree from Loyola University Chicago-Stritch School of Medicine where she was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and Alpha Sigma Nu medical honor societies. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Emory University Medical Center where her thesis project was awarded the prestigious John D. Thompson research award. Dr. Hayes is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Hayes is experienced in diagnosis of and treatment of all types of infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, fertility preservation, IVF, and hysteroscopic surgery.