COVID-19 & Fertility: Should I Be Doing Treatment Right Now?

It's important to recognize that undergoing fertility treatment—be it family building or preservation—has an added layer of complexity to it in the era of COVID-19. A lot of patients ask if it even makes sense to pursue treatment in the midst of a pandemic?

Over the past year, we’ve gathered more and more information about COVID-19 and pregnancy, however we are continuing to collect more information to help further elucidate the potential effects of COVID-19 on a developing fetus.

What we do know is that: COVID-19 has not been shown to have a higher prevalence in pregnant individuals, however patients who are pregnant and get COVID-19 are more likely to have more severe symptoms than patients who are not pregnant. This, resultantly, translates into higher hospitalizations for pregnant COVID-19 patients and potentially more preterm births. 

There have been very few reported cases of fetal transmission of COVID-19 during pregnancy from parent to baby—more time and data will help clarify this picture, however it doesn’t seem as if this is a significant concern.

I think the bigger question to ask yourself when deciding whether to pursue treatment or not is: Are YOU ready?

Scheduling a consultation can be done virtually without increasing risk or exposure to COVID-19. If, after that consult, you feel as if you are ready to move forward with treatment, then you should. 

Having a detailed discussion about your current fertility state, medical history and family building goals will help you decide whether waiting is the right choice or not for you.

In the meantime, we’re here ready to safely and carefully care for the patients who chose to move forward.

Author

Dr. Nidhee Sachdev Nidhee Sachdev, MD has trained among the most prestigious and diverse medical programs in the country, including fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the prestigious New York University (NYU) Langone Fertility Center in New York City where she conducted research on preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she earned the academic distinction of chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology, and trained under a top recurrent pregnancy loss expert. Dr. Sachdev is passionate about providing individualized, collaborative patient care. She started her medical career right here in Orange County, earning her Doctor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine.