COVID-19 Update: TasIVF welcomes the lifting of the IVF ban

TasIVF supports the Government’s decision to resume certain elective surgeries including IVF.

Dr Bill Watkins, TasIVF Medical Director, is pleased with the result and believes it is the right time to recommence IVF treatment, albeit cautiously.

“For a number of reasons we feel it’s appropriate to resume treatment, IVF procedures are considered to be low aerosol generating and therefore low risk.

“We are putting in place a number of additional safety measures to safeguard patients and staff which will be adapted as the pandemic evolves.

“The resumption is good news for women and couples that need assistance in order to conceive, particularly older women or those who have a reduced egg reserve.

“Experiencing fertility issues is tough but when you have the added layer of a pandemic, the past month of uncertainty has been extremely difficult for patients.

“By the time patients come to see a fertility specialist for their initial consultation, they’ve been trying to conceive for a long time, they already know that something could be wrong with their fertility, and they are desperate to have a baby but they aren’t succeeding.

“The pandemic IVF ban created a further barrier between them and their pregnancy success which has caused a lot of stress for all of our patients, especially those at the end of their fertility lifeline who don’t have the luxury of time to pursue their treatment.

“Now that the ban has been lifted, it’s important for patients to discuss their individual situation with their doctors, as some patients may still wish to delay treatment in the current environment.

“We are offering bulk bill teleconferencing for new and existing patients, or anyone wanting to discuss their fertility.

“Patient safety at TasIVF is our priority. We will screen patients where appropriate, masks will be commonly worn, temperature checking everyone before they come into the clinic and patients will be asked questions about their COVID-19 exposure before entering the facility.

“We are implementing physical distancing protocols, we’ve made changes to minimise waiting room congestion and we’ve heightened our already strict infection control: hand sanitisation before and after contact with our patients and washing down all surfaces between patients with disinfectants,” said Dr Watkins.  

Dr Watkins said we look forward to continuing to provide a high standard of care for our patients.