Case Report

Oocyte Retrieval in Asymptomatic Patients Positive for SARS-CoV-2

Table 1

Considerations for patients with asymptomatic COVID-19 infection undergoing ovarian stimulation.

Pretreatment
Have a comprehensive practice policy in place for screening for COVID-19 prior to patient care.
Encourage practice personnel involved with patient care to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Encourage patients and their partners to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Ensure that all staff members, including contracted personnel, have undergone proper N95 fit testing.
During treatment
Advise symptomatic patients, or patients exposed to a known COVID-19-positive person, to inform the clinic and to undergo COVID-19 testing regardless of vaccination status.
If a patient tests positive for COVID-19
Patient symptoms should be ascertained.
If the patient is symptomatic, discuss cycle cancellation.
If the patient is asymptomatic, the decision to proceed or not to proceed with oocyte retrieval should be made based on practice policy, in consultation with colleagues and the anesthesia team.
Preretrieval and day of retrieval
Limit contact between the patient and staff as well as other patients by
(i) not performing posttrigger labs the day before the retrieval
(ii) collecting semen specimen at home and bringing to the clinic
(iii) performing oocyte vitrification or embryo freeze-all to allow the patient to fully recover if symptoms develop postretrieval and further reduce exposure
Staff and patient to wear proper PPE including N95 masks.
Avoid front desk check-in by the infected patient. Have her proceed directly to the oocyte retrieval area.
If possible, schedule the retrieval such that all prior patients have exited the pre- and postoperative recovery areas prior to arrival of the infected patient.
Postretrieval
Clean all patient contact areas with disinfectant products that have been proven effective against COVID-19 based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s List N of disinfectants [31].
Mitigate OHSS risk.
Patient to continue to use N95 mask when in public.
Frequent follow-up by phone with the patient to assess for symptoms and need for further evaluation or treatment.