ORM COVID-19 Compassionate Care

Yes! ORM Fertility is here for you and we have resumed all fertility treatment services at this time. Our recent pause in providing most clinical services has provided us with the opportunity to evaluate our treatment protocols in response to COVID-19 and establish a system that will welcome you to our private, standalone facilities in a safe and socially distanced way. Please reach out to our team with any questions you may have regarding your care at 503-274-4994 or [email protected]

At ORM Fertility, the health and safety of our staff and patients is has always been our top priority. We want to assure you that ORM Fertility’s freestanding, well-engineered facilities allow us to care for you in the most protected environment possible. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we have instituted additional measures to further ensure everyone’s safety.

• TELEHEALTH: We will continue to utilize video and teleconferencing for any appointments that do not require an ultrasound, bloodwork or a surgical procedure.
• COVID-19 SCREENING: Prior to entering an ORM clinic we ask that you complete a simple electronic COVID-19 health screening survey. You can find the link here.
• TEMPERATURE CHECKS: Upon entering the clinic one of our staff will take your temperature. Anyone with an elevated temperature will be asked to go home and their appointment will be rescheduled.
• FACEMASKS: We ask that you bring your own facemask to any appointment at an ORM Fertility clinic
• SOCIAL DISTANCING: We will be managing scheduling and patient flow to allow for social distancing. Appointment times have been adjusted to minimize the number of people in the clinic at any given time. While we know this is difficult, we ask that no guests accompany you to your appointment. We appreciate your patience and flexibility in order to accommodate for this!

Yes. Everyone coming to ORM, including staff, will need to wear their own mask to their visit. Anyone without a mask will need to obtain one before entering the building or reschedule their appointment.

• March 8
  • OB ultrasound appointments
• March 15
  • Embryo transfers
  • Oocyte retrievals

In addition, on March 15, we are also opening up more Andrology services. For partners who are having an egg retrieval, they will now have the option to produce their sample on-site at ORM. We will continue to accept samples produced at home.

All support persons will need to complete the ORM patient questionnaire and have their temperature checked at the time of arrival just as patients do.

April 1, we will start to be able to see Outside Monitoring non-ORM patients as schedule allows for:

• Ultrasounds
• Blood work
• IUIs

Outside Monitoring patient appointments will be limited to the patient only and not open to visitors or a support person at these visits.

*Children (of any age) are still not permitted to accompany patients or visitors to ORM at this time. 

For all other appointments, no support person will be allowed except:

Under Oregon law, patients may have a visitor if they need help from a support person because of a language barrier or disability; if they need help with activities of daily living or; or to ensure the safety of the patient or health care workers. Every effort must be made to arrange in advance.

All patients are required to have a responsible adult take them home following oocyte (egg) retrieval or embryo transfer. Because of limited space to allow for physical distancing, we ask that the person do one of the following:

• Wait in their car in a place with good cell service
• Wait at a location with 15 minutes of ORM Fertility with good cell service

• Comply with all safety protocols, including hand hygiene, masking, and social distancing.
• Undergo screening for COVID-19 symptoms and have their temperature taken. Visitors who do not pass the screening process will not be permitted entry.
• Wear a mask at all times.
• Stay in the assigned patient room unless otherwise directed by a member of the ORM Fertility staff.
• Receive COVID-19 testing prior to flying if they plan to come into the ORM facility.

Effective immediately, all patients prior to air travel to ORM will require a negative COVID test (rapid test preferred) and completion of the ORM COVID Questionnaire within 5 days of travel.

If travel is required here are some things to consider before you go:

• Wash your hands often
• Avoid touching your hands, eyes and mouth
• Avoid close contact with others
• Wear a cloth face covering when you are in public
• For more information you can review the Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for travel.

Although we hope this does not happen, if you are exposed to COVID-19, develop symptoms of or are diagnosed with COVID-19, we will likely recommend postponing further treatment until you are healthy. Your provider will help guide you.

Currently, little is known about the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 on human reproduction and pregnancy. Pregnant women do not appear to be a greater risk of contracting and developing COVID-19 than the general population. There is no current information that infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus increases the risk of miscarriage or birth defects. Several reports have reported healthy babies in mothers with COVID-19 at or near the time of delivery. Preterm (early) delivery has been reported.

It is important that you stay connected with your healthcare provider(s) throughout your fertility treatment and pregnancy. They will be able to update you regarding new information as it becomes available. You may also access information regarding COVID-19 and pregnancy through the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We have no reason to believe that the COVID-19 coronavirus will lead to future fertility problems for either men or women.

Patients should have the opportunity to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with their healthcare providers. The decision to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will need to be on an individual basis.

Unfortunately, pregnant women were not included in the clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States. The vaccines currently available under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States were not tested in pregnant women prior to their approval. Pfizer and J&J have begun clinical trials including pregnant women.

The current information available for pregnant women who have received either the Moderna or the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines is very reassuring. Using v-safe, the CDC’s after vaccination health checker, just over 35,000 pregnant women have enrolled through February 18, 2021. Side effects and adverse events observed among pregnant individuals in v-safe did not differ from the general population. In 275 self-reported pregnancies, no unexpected pregnancy or infant outcomes were observed related to COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. Safety monitoring is ongoing.

We must keep in mind that there is no zero-risk option for a pregnant woman – one needs to balance available data on vaccine safety, occupation and risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, risks to pregnant patients from SARS-CoV-2 infection, and an individual’s risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 disease.

ORM Fertility agrees with and supports the recommendations of ASRM, ACOG, and the CDC that COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to all pregnant individuals.

We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination with your healthcare providers.

The Pfizer and Modera vaccines are mRNA vaccines- they contain no live virus or infectious material and do not use any adjuvants to enhance vaccine efficacy. These vaccines do not enter the cell nucleus and do not alter human DNA in vaccine recipients. mRNA vaccines have not been shown to cause any genetic changes. The mRNA vaccines do not contain any ingredients that are known to be harmful to pregnant women. Based on our current knowledge of mRNA vaccines, the theoretical risk of fetal harm from mRNA vaccines appears to be very low

J&J

The newest vaccine approved for emergency use (EUA) in the United States is the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. The J&J uses a modified, non-infectious adenovirus (Ad-26). The vaccine triggers an immune response against the spike protein of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. It is a single-dose vaccine. Like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, there is no specific data for pregnancy. Studies from other Ad26-based vaccines in pregnancy are reassuring, but remain preliminary in nature.

Similar to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the J&J COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing moderate to severe disease and death.

Recently, the FDA paused the use of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. After review, the J&J vaccine is again available for use in the United States. Women under the age of 50 should be aware there might be an increased risk of a rare blood-clotting syndrome associated with the J&J vaccine.

Common vaccine side effects may resemble a mild flu-like illness and typically resolve within 1-3 days. Vaccine recipients may experience local injection site pain, fatigue, fever and/or chills, headache, and muscle and joint pain. Patients experiencing a fever after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine may take acetaminophen.

We ask that all patients share their current vaccination status with ORM Fertility. If you are planning on be vaccinated, please check with your care team to be sure the timing will not interfere with your treatment.

If a patient experiences a fever or symptoms similar to COVID-19 following vaccination, they should contact ORM Fertility. You may be advised to delay an appointment and/or treatment.

If a patient is traveling to Portland from out of town for treatment, you should consider receiving the vaccination at least 3 days before your departure date to avoid side effects that might delay your ability to travel.

In men, Covid-19 infection has the potential to negatively influence the quality of a man’s sperm. Any high fever, severe illness, and/or a viral infection can cause a drop in the sperm count for up to 3 months. This could temporarily reduce a man’s fertility. Further study is needed.

ORM will support and respect an individuals’ decision if they choose to decline COVID-19 vaccination.

Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide in real-world conditions before making that decision. Other factors, including how many people are vaccinated, new COVID-19 variants, and how the virus is spreading in our community, will also affect this decision. In addition, it is uncertain how effective the current COVID-19 vaccines are in preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to others.

While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic.

To protect yourself and others, follow these recommendations:

• Wear a mask over your nose and mouth
• Stay at least 6 feet away from others
• Avoid crowds
• Avoid poorly ventilated spaces
• Wash your hands often

While the currently available COVID-19 vaccines help protest against developing COVID-19, the vaccines do not completely prevent an individual from carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus and/or being infectious. In addition, while the current vaccines appear extremely effective, they do not prevent 100% of all infections. The COVID-19 vaccine will not cross-react with the current COVID-19 antigen or PCR tests used to detect individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.