We are living through an unprecedented time in our history with the emergence and acceleration of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has forced U.S. fertility clinics to postpone infertility treatment for the next several months, but we can offer telemedicine consults.
For our patients, we know this is devastating news. You may have tried and waited many years to have children and hoped, dreamed and prepared for these upcoming in vitro fertilization cycles. Now, you must wait longer.
This temporary pause also is very disappointing to potential surrogate mothers and egg donors who are anxious to help others build their families.
But every challenge has a silver lining and inspires us to be creative. At our clinic, we are scheduling telemedicine consults and virtual office visits so you can continue your fertility journey. We are scheduling Skype consultations with Dr. Arnold for intended parents who want to pursue surrogacy or IVF when we resume treatments. Also, we will continue to recruit surrogate mothers and egg donors.
The following is a list of telehealth options for intended parents and future surrogate mothers and egg donors.
If you are a prospective parent, you can schedule a telemedicine appointment with Dr. Arnold for an initial consultation. You can also review our egg donor database and start looking and matching with a gestational carrier.
If you are a woman who is interested in becoming a gestational surrogate mother, there are many steps you can complete in the application process:
If you are a future egg donor, you can start the application process virtually by providing details about your and your family’s medical history as well as about your social and educational background. In addition, you can write a personal essay about yourself and why you want to become an egg donor and submit current and childhood photos of yourself.
As we live through these challenging days, it is important to remain hopeful about the future and take some proactive steps to make your dreams come true, whether you are a future parent, hopeful surrogate mother or potential egg donor.
Ask us how you can schedule an appointment today!
For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following sites:
CDC on Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Breastfeeding https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/pregnancy-breastfeeding.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fspecific-groups%2Fpregnancy-faq.html#anchor_1584169262
ASRM Bulletins
https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/news-and-research/?filterbycategoryid=21
World Health Organization Guidance
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists