Fertility and IVF during a global pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic has remained challenging and has resulted in many changes in how we provide care at the Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

This time can be especially stressful for women who are trying to become pregnant, in the fertility treatment process or thinking about beginning fertility treatments.

The current global situation shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your interest in family building and dream of having a baby. Your security and safety in your infertility journey is our first priority.

In May, the Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women reinstituted surgical scheduling and fertility treatment protocols. This includes offering surgical procedures as a necessity in your reproductive endocrinology and infertility care, and the reinstitution of active fertility treatment plans including IVF cycle with oocyte retrievals, oocyte cryopreservation, embryo transfers and intrauterine inseminations.

In order to keep our patients safe, healthy and continue to provide the best possible care, our Family Fertility Center has numerous precautions in place including:

• Masks required for patients and all staff at all times
• Social distancing present throughout our facilities, waiting rooms and elevators
• Temperature checks and screening questionnaires
• Spacing out appointments to ensure fewer patient present in the waiting room and shortened waiting times

“It has been really nice to be able to have my pregnancy monitored closer to home, at the Family Fertility Center location in the The Woodlands,” said patient Stacey Morse.

“I have also had appointments at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women and the safety measures and precautions in place – from new, clean masks for everyone, temperature checks and screenings and going directly into the room to be seen versus sitting in the waiting room – have made me feel really comfortable as I prioritize my family’s health at this uncertain time,” Morse continued.

Patients can also opt for telemedicine services, allowing them to be virtually seen for a new patient evaluation and for follow-up visits, in the comfort of their own homes. This is an added convenience to decrease the stress of having to travel to our facilities.

As an educational tool, all patients seen at the Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s medical center campus and in The Woodlands will be counseled in the latest CDC and professional society recommendations, and will be provided a special COVID-19 consent outlining our recommendations and requirements.

The Family Fertility Center is following guidelines and requiring COVID-19 testing for all patients preoperatively and for IVF egg recoveries. Testing is done 1-2 days prior to surgery and in event of IVF, at the start of a patient’s medication cycle. With a negative COVID culture test, we can proceed with your surgery or IVF cycle care plan.

Texas Children’s Family Fertility Center is here for you, providing the most advanced fertility treatments available today to help you conceive – even in the most complex cases. Call 832-303-7388 to book an appointment or visit our website to learn more.