Travel/Zika/Treatment

[Anonymous]

Had initial infertility appointment this week. I mentioned to Dr that DH and I travel to Florida around once every 6-8 weeks due to elderly family and work. Dr mentioned that I would need to wait 8 weeks, and DH 6 months before treatment and that we should use protection during those windows.

Intellectually, I have a hard time getting behind this. Fertility clinics in South Florida, to the best of my knowledge, have not shut down. Women living and working in Florida are not, like in Colombia/Brazil, being advised to wait 6 months to conceive. They are told to be smart, aware, and cautious...and are proceeding with life.

Is this mainly for liability purposes? Can someone let me know if this is the standard for DC area clinics, or is this particular office overly conservative?
Is it a strong suggestion or will clinics really NOT treat you?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Can anyone at shady grove or dominion comment on their experiences?

[Anonymous]

That's crazy.

[Anonymous]

Your physician's recommendation came from the CDC.https://www.cdc.gov/zika/. If you disagree with it which you obviously do, I'm sure you are an educate medical professional, so then you do whatever you want. It's your body. But you are fully informed and aware of the risks. Take your chances. If you are worried about Floridians what about those South America with zero access to healthcare services. Many zika countries with poor healthcare infrastructures can't implement the CDC recommendations. Women living in poverty are getting pregnant everyday in Brazil, if given the choice I'm sure they would prefer to conceive in a non-zika location. It does not mean the CDC should stop informing the public about the best recommendations based on current information about the virus. The recommendations will change as CDC does more research and has better understanding of the virus. In the meantime you can chose to follow the recommendations or not.

[Anonymous]

Fertility clinics haven't shut down, but you have no idea what precautions they are taking and what they are advising their patients. Your doctor is telling you what his protocol is when it comes to potential exposure, and you're just dismissing it because you don't like the answer. I understand that you want to have a child, but do you want to have a child that's been exposed to Zika because you didn't want to wait?

[Anonymous]

It may sound strict, but all fertility doctors want to give you the best possible chance at a healthy child. Trust me, after you go through the financial and physical challenge of a cycle or two, you won't want to face the issue of whether or not to terminate a Zika-affected pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fertility clinics haven't shut down, but you have no idea what precautions they are taking and what they are advising their patients. Your doctor is telling you what his protocol is when it comes to potential exposure, and you're just dismissing it because you don't like the answer. I understand that you want to have a child, but do you want to have a child that's been exposed to Zika because you didn't want to wait?

Actually, I do. Because I grew up there and still have girlfriends in the area raising families. They have been told to wear bug spray. And that's pretty much it. Life has not stopped down there. So that's why I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the hypersensitivity of people in this area. If women are doing IvF and conceiving down there, doesn't it seem like overkill to be so conservative up here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your physician's recommendation came from the CDC.https://www.cdc.gov/zika/. If you disagree with it which you obviously do, I'm sure you are an educate medical professional, so then you do whatever you want. It's your body. But you are fully informed and aware of the risks. Take your chances. If you are worried about Floridians what about those South America with zero access to healthcare services. Many zika countries with poor healthcare infrastructures can't implement the CDC recommendations. Women living in poverty are getting pregnant everyday in Brazil, if given the choice I'm sure they would prefer to conceive in a non-zika location. It does not mean the CDC should stop informing the public about the best recommendations based on current information about the virus. The recommendations will change as CDC does more research and has better understanding of the virus. In the meantime you can chose to follow the recommendations or not.

I respect the CDC, its information, and the life saving work it does. My question is if people have heard of clinics implementing this as hardline policy, or as a strong suggestion?

[Anonymous]

Shady Grove's latest policy is to wait 8 weeks after travel to Zika areas for female patients. No idea about males, as we are working with a surrogate to transfer frozen embryos. She traveled to one of these places recently and has to have bloodwork back before we proceed.

[Anonymous]

Can you do a cycle for collection that is timed/adheres to the guidelines? As long as you have embryos, you can wait the 8 weeks without too much worry. I would arrange to not go to Florida for awhile--a solid year or so while you concentrate on IF treatments and getting pregnant. I can understand the guidelines being strict. No doctor wants a microcephaly baby on their conscience. I think it might be an ethics issure for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a cycle for collection that is timed/adheres to the guidelines? As long as you have embryos, you can wait the 8 weeks without too much worry. I would arrange to not go to Florida for awhile--a solid year or so while you concentrate on IF treatments and getting pregnant. I can understand the guidelines being strict. No doctor wants a microcephaly baby on their conscience. I think it might be an ethics issure for them.

This is ridiculous. So if you have family, you're just supposed to not see them for a yeAr+? Or not travel for work? Then I assume once you get preg, no going down for atleast first tri either??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a cycle for collection that is timed/adheres to the guidelines? As long as you have embryos, you can wait the 8 weeks without too much worry. I would arrange to not go to Florida for awhile--a solid year or so while you concentrate on IF treatments and getting pregnant. I can understand the guidelines being strict. No doctor wants a microcephaly baby on their conscience. I think it might be an ethics issure for them.

This is ridiculous. So if you have family, you're just supposed to not see them for a yeAr+? Or not travel for work? Then I assume once you get preg, no going down for atleast first tri either??

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a cycle for collection that is timed/adheres to the guidelines? As long as you have embryos, you can wait the 8 weeks without too much worry. I would arrange to not go to Florida for awhile--a solid year or so while you concentrate on IF treatments and getting pregnant. I can understand the guidelines being strict. No doctor wants a microcephaly baby on their conscience. I think it might be an ethics issure for them.

This is ridiculous. So if you have family, you're just supposed to not see them for a yeAr+? Or not travel for work? Then I assume once you get preg, no going down for atleast first tri either??

Yes.

wow

[Anonymous]

What's serious is that I have a colleague who traveled to Miami this summer and got Zika. He says he wore bug spray. He had some severe symptoms and was in the hospital, but is fine now.

Another friend's whole family lives in Boca and she is 6 months pregnant did not go home to see her them for thanksgiving and won't go for Christmas. The risk isn't worth it to her.

You can decide how much risk you're willing to take. Your doc is just giving you his professional recommendation.

[Anonymous]

Clinics in south Florida can't stay in business if they refuse to treat women who may have been exposed to Zika. Clinics in DC can. When give the choice, they'd rather not have patients with this risk factor, and you're living in an area where they do have a choice.

If you can't find a clinic to treat you locally, I guess you can see about treatment in Florida.