Ovation Fertility™ Nashville Warns Against Zika Exposure Prior to and During Fertility Treatment
Nashville, TN – July 28, 2016 – As the news hits that Zika-carrying mosquitoes may soon arrive on the continental United States, Ovation Fertility™ Nashville continues to initiate conversations with current fertility patients about taking preventive steps to protect themselves from the virus. Zika exposure can delay plans to undergo a fertility treatment cycle, including in vitro fertilization or intrauterine insemination, says Dr. George A. Hill, Ovation Fertility partner physician and founder of Nashville Fertility Center.
“Based on current information about Zika, microcephaly and birth defects, taking every possible precaution is absolutely essential for any woman of childbearing age,” says Dr. Hill. “This includes using mosquito repellent, wearing protective clothing, staying indoors and even deferring travel to Zika infested areas when possible.”
As of July14, 2016, 400 cases of the Zika virus have been reported in pregnant U.S. women.
Nashville fertility specialists have joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in helping to raise awareness for mosquito season preparedness and the importance of postponing fertility treatment for eight weeks after traveling to a country reporting epidemic or endemic Zika occurrences. Men exposed to Zika should use a condom during sexual activity for at least six months.
About the Zika virus
The virus is spread through a bite from the Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito, a blood transfusion or lab exposure, sex with an infected man, or from a pregnant woman to her in utero baby. The current outbreak was first reported in Brazil in 2015; in 2016 new clusters led the World Health Organization to declare Zika a “public health emergency of international concern.” There is no vaccine and no treatment at this time.
The CDC regularly updates its website and provides information about how the virus spreads and the risks to pregnant women.
- As U.S. cases continue to be reported to the CDC, a locally acquired U.S. case may eventually be added to the list of travel-related and sexually transmitted occurrences.
- Blood safety measures are recommended to prevent the spread of the virus through blood transfusions.
- CDC is investigating the link between Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
“When men and women follow CDC guidelines it is unlikely that they will contract Zika,” says Dr. Hill. “Even exposure during pregnancy does not necessarily mean it will lead to serious birth defects, so we are reassuring our patients to use caution but don’t panic.”
About Ovation Fertility™
Ovation Fertility, founded in 2015 by a consortium of thought-leading reproductive endocrinologists, is a national fertility service provider offering all aspects of fertility treatment for intended parents, including embryology, andrology and genetic testing as part of the in vitro fertilization process. Ovation Fertility partners with prominent physician clinics that are committed to reducing the average cost of a live birth through IVF by advancing the industry standard in fertility treatments. For more information, visit www.ovationfertility.com.
About Dr. George A. Hill
Dr. Hill co-founded Nashville Fertility Center in 1991 and currently serves as medical director. He is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He completed medical school
and an Ob/Gyn residency at the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and fellowship training at Vanderbilt University. As an accomplished researcher, surgeon and clinician, Dr. Hill specializes in microsurgical tubal reversal, laparoscopic treat-ment of endometriosis and assisted reproductive technologies.
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