Considering the social alarm associated with the worldwide spread of the new COVID-19 virus (popularly known as coronavirus), and after studying strictly and in detail the available medical information, the IVF-Life medical team states that:

COVID-19 is a new strain of virus whose infection in many cases, is asymptomatic or produces mild symptoms. In other cases, it presents as common flu, and only poses a risk to those who are immunocompromised or elderly people. In those severe cases, some must be hospitalized as their condition could become life threatening. At this point it should be remembered that even in these cases the mortality of this virus is much lower than that of the common flu.

Coronavirus and pregnancy

There have been no reports of vertical transmission of this virus (transmission in the pregnant mother to her unborn child) and much less transmission of the virus through gametes (oocytes or sperm). Experts consider this form of transmission as practically impossible.

The transmission of the pathogen is mainly caused by drops of saliva and mucus of medium size, which fall quickly to the ground, and do not disperse through the room where an infected person is. This means that for the transmission of the virus, close contact with an infected patient is required.

Spain is a safe country as far as health is concerned, with a Universal health system, for every person who is in the national territory, and with a high experience in public health and disease prevention policies. There are very few cases of COVID-19 in our country, most of them imported from other countries. They are followed closely and with adequate measures to avoid risk to the population.

Therefore, the IVF-Life medical team concludes:

1. It is not necessary to postpone fertility treatments in Spain. We are in a safe environment with few cases of infection. If this occurs, given the profile of patients (young and healthy) that we attend, the risk of serious infection is extremely rare.
2. It is not necessary to postpone a pregnancy, since the risk of infection in the pregnant woman is minimal. The severity of an alleged infection during pregnancy is minimal and there is no risk of transmission to the fetus.
3. It is not necessary to postpone the treatment of donation of gametes or embryos. The disease is not transmitted through this biological material, but through direct contact with the infected person (sweat, saliva).
4. Those cases of patients undergoing specific treatments that produce significant immunosuppression (in which the risk of infection may increase) will be reviewed and contacted by the medical team. This measure does not apply to the usual IVF-Life protocol in which a minimum dose of glucocorticoids, which do not produce significant immunosuppression, is administered after the transfer.

Sincerely,

The IVF-Life Medical Team

IVF-Life Alicante – ProcreaTec Madrid – IVF Donostia San Sebastián.