MRM practices update in light of COVID-19

Mar 19, 2020

Mississippi Reproductive Medicine (MRM) is closely monitoring the situation regarding COVID-19. We absolutely cannot be too cautious during this uncertain time. In order to protect our patients and our staff, MRM is making certain changes to our standard procedures and protocols. Over the past two weeks, new recommendations have been released daily for communities, schools, businesses, athletics, as well as health care providers and health facilities. A summary of guidelines from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) released 3/17/2020 is below:

  1. For Patients Planning on Starting a Cycle: Using oral or injectable medications, or starting an IUI, IVF retrieval or a frozen embryo transfer, ASRM recommends that your cycle be postponed.
  2. For Patients Planning an IVF Transfer: The current recommendation is for all clinics to strongly consider cancelling or postponing embryo transfers.
  3. For Patients Who are Currently “In-Cycle”: ASRM is recommending clinics continue to provide individualized care on a case by case basis, which may include cancelation or postponement.
  4. For Patients with an Upcoming Scheduled Procedure: Recommending clinics suspend all elective surgeries and non-urgent diagnostic procedures.
  5. For Patients Who Have an Appointment Scheduled: Clinics encouraged to minimize in-person interactions and utilize telehealth/telemedicine alternatives.
  6. For Patients Who are Currently Pregnant: Limited data is known about the effect of COVID-19 on pregnant women. Pregnant women are considered an “at-risk population” for COVID-19.

With guidelines provided to our medical community and from local hospitals, national and state government recommendations, it is with caution and out of an abundance of concern for the safety of all, that we find it necessary to adjust our daily clinic schedule for the next two weeks and then we can re-evaluate. Please understand, that we do not make this decision lightly and know that we only do this based on recommendations from governing bodies and medical experts who are diligently researching efforts to “slow the curve”.

We are in line with many other infertility/IVF clinics across the South and the United States that have also made changes to daily clinic routines to do our part to protect your safety and health. We will take each patient case individually into consideration. We are available for telehealth/telemedicine appointments, patient portal/correspondences, and we are currently set up to provide services for any patient who desires a “remote” appointment. We plan to be here for you!

Please bear with us as we navigate uncharted territory. We believe that we can never be too cautious when it comes to your health and/or safety and we are following the recommendations of many experts who are doing their best to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Follow our Facebook / Instagram or website for updates and links to the CDC, ASRM, and ACOG. Please contact our clinic via the patient portal to discuss any specific concerns you may have during this time. You can access the complete article from the ASRM taskforce here.