By Temeka Zore, MD
It’s a safe bet you have heard the increasing news coverage and cases regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The coronavirus is thought to be spread by respiratory droplets from an infected individual when they cough or sneeze.
Information is changing daily regarding tests, exposure and recommendations and we wanted to address information regarding the coronavirus and fertility/reproduction.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), little is known about the impact of the coronavirus on reproduction and pregnancy. Therefore, ASRM (out of extreme caution) recommends women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant , as well as egg donors, sperm donors and gestational carriers, avoid non-essential travel to highly infectious parts of the world (this is updated on the CDC website).
Per the CDC, we don’t know if pregnant women are more susceptible to the coronavirus. But, we do know that the immune system of pregnant women changes as a natural state of pregnancy, possibly putting them at higher risk for more severe side effects if they do become sick. Therefore pregnant women should exercise caution regarding travel and avoiding sick individuals.
The best prevention for the coronavirus is avoiding non-essential travel to highly infectious areas of the world, avoiding individuals who are sick and making sure you are practicing adequate and proper hand washing. The CDC is making constant updates to their website and it’s important to stay up to date on the information.
For more on CoVid-19 and fertility, please check out our recent Monday Motivation and Fertility Tip Tuesday Facebook Lives.
