Fertility care amidst the COVID19 pandemic: the American experience

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of over one million people worldwide, and has affected all aspects of healthcare worldwide, including the delivery of care to patients with fertility-related diagnoses. In the United States, the response of US fertility clinics to the COVID-19 pandemic was coordinated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). ASRM acted quickly to develop guidelines for limiting fertility treatment and clinic consultations during the early days of the pandemic, and then safely restarting fertility treatment. A survey of patients with fertility-related diagnoses who presented for care during the first months of the pandemic revealed that a majority of patients who presented for care during the early months of the pandemic experienced delayed or cancelled treatment cycles. Patients with infertility subsequently reported a desire to resume fertility care, but emphasized the importance of their clinic having policies and procedures in place to limit the risk of infection.