Letter to Patients
The San Diego Fertility Center has been closely monitoring the rapidly developing situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and responding to recommendations as they are provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).
During these difficult times, our team at San Diego Fertility Center has practiced an abundance of caution, implementing protocols to protect the health of our patients and fellow team members.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-evolving global health issue, but we are hopeful that the world will come together on this most important health concern, and together, we will emerge a stronger world. Working together and supporting one another has never been more important than today. Our hearts go out to anyone who has been impacted by the virus.
We understand the concern you must be feeling regarding the progress of your fertility treatment, due to the new Coronavirus pandemic.
The United States health officials are recommending that all elective medical procedures be suspended due to an abundance of caution and the need for all to contribute to the effort of virus containment
Our physicians will still be available via email, phone or video call for patient care and consultation.
Our team will continue to check messages and provide support to our patients.
Please notify your medical assistant or cycle coordinator with the onset of a menses, so we can help to manage your future treatment cycle.
Please contact us at: [email protected] to schedule a time to consult with your physician.
Our phone lines will be open during normal business hours: 858.794.6363
Due to recommendations for social distancing and the lockdown, we will be working with a rotation of reduced staff starting March 23rd, until we return to full in-person office care. This may lead to a delay of our usual response time.
We will be monitoring the situation on a weekly basis. An update of the ASRM guidelines is anticipated March 30th. The resumption of fertility treatments will be predicated on ensuring the health of patients and team members. We anticipate that we will be able to resume normal operations shortly.
We appreciate your patience during this unique time, as we balance the need for public health safety, with the need to provide outstanding patient care.
We are also planning 2 Global Webinars addressing questions regarding COVID-19 as it related to pregnancy and fertility.
Please await our email and a link to join the webinars.
Lastly, we are so sorry to all who have been impacted and will work together to navigate this current unfolding situation.
Please stay safe and healthy during these unprecedented times.
Below is the statement from ASRM released on March 17th.
ASRM guidance is in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. Our goal is to provide practices with recommendations that guard the health and safety of our patients and staff, and recognize our social responsibility, as an organization and as a community of providers and experts, to comply with national public health recommendations. This guidance recommends the following:
- Suspend initiation of new treatment cycles, including ovulation induction, intrauterine inseminations (IUIs), in vitro fertilization (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.
- Minimize in-person interactions and increase utilization of telehealth.
