Puah for Fertility and RABBI GIDEON Machon Gynecology in Accordance with Halacha WEITZMAN
Corona and Fertility Treatment
T
he horrific and unprecedented COVID 19 pandemic has hit the entire world and changed our perspective in so many ways. The effects of the Coronavirus have been very deeply felt in PUAH as well with a myriad number of questions that we have been asked. Many if these are novel and require a sensitive and often creative understanding of the situation and the halachic ramifications. One of the common questions regards undergoing fertility treatment during this time. As the virus quickly spread throughout the world, health organizations started warning about the
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danger of being in the vicinity of crowds. While people who need to seek medical treatment must go to clinics and hospitals, when dealing with elective treatments the situation is different. However there were no clear instructions in the initial stages as to whether couples should continue to pursue fertility treatments or not. And so most couples, and most clinics, continued as normal, scheduling and starting treatments. IVF treatments usually start with a couple of weeks of ovulation induction; a woman receives hormonal shots and is monitored to ensure that follicles are developing. It is essential to make sure there is no ovarian hyperstimulation which has serious negative ramifications for the woman’s health. Once the process has been initiated it is not a simple matter to stop in the middle.
