Resumption of medically assisted reproduction activities: initial feedback from MPA centers in the context of the health situation linked to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.

A few weeks ago, the Agence de la biomédecine published new recommendations designed to support MPA centers in their gradual resumption of activity, while respecting conditions of safety and quality of care, and preserving equal access to care wherever possible.

In this particular context, the Agence de la biomédecine wished to draw up an initial assessment of the conditions for resuming activity in MPA centers. A questionnaire was therefore sent to 104 clinical-biological centers carrying out MPA activities; 99 of them responded.

Positive initial feedback

While the recommendations drawn up by the Agence de la biomédecine were a prerequisite for the resumption of activities in the MPA centers, the regional health agencies (ARS) and establishment management were responsible for authorizing or not the resumption of medical activities in the health establishments, depending on the local and regional conditions of virus circulation.

On this point, 71% of centers responding to the survey said they could resume their activities by the end of May 2020, and 94% by the end of June 2020. Concerning the resumption of artificial insemination and frozen embryo transfer activities, 32% and 27% of MPA centers respectively planned to do so before the beginning of June 2020, and 84% and 87% of centers respectively before the beginning of July 2020.

Half of the centers that returned the questionnaire planned to resume in vitro fertilization (IVF) activities before June 10, 2020. However, a few centers did not yet have visibility for IVF planning and were unable to respond.

Between May 11, 2020 and June 11, 2020, the clinical-biological centers, which were heavily mobilized to organize the resumption of activities as effectively as possible, carried out 49% and 32% respectively of the artificial inseminations and embryo transfers carried out over the same period in 2018. The resumption of IVF, on the other hand, was slower: over this same period, half of the centers performing IVF carried out 14% of the volume of activity usually observed. This difference is mainly due to the need for access to the operating room for oocyte puncture, and the need to mobilize more healthcare professionals for IVF.

Faced with an unprecedented health crisis, which notably led to the suspension of PGM activities in France, healthcare professionals worked hard to support :

• their patients, who wanted to resume their MPA procedures as quickly as possible, by supporting them and keeping them informed of developments in the health situation;
• learned societies, which worked closely with the Agence de la biomédecine, experts, a patient association, representatives of the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health and regional health agencies, to draw up recommendations for resuming activities under appropriate conditions of safety and quality of care.

Despite the uncertainties linked to the evolution of the pandemic, the medical teams at the MPA centers have demonstrated their unfailing commitment to resuming their activities as quickly as possible, as soon as the local situation has allowed, and by adapting patient care and follow-up procedures to the circulation conditions of Covid-19.

The Agence de la biomédecine has already scheduled a second survey of AMP activities for next autumn.

Press contacts :

bcw | burson cohn & wolfe - Juliette Billaroch, juliette.billaroch@bcw-global.com, 06 26 28 40 11 bcw | burson cohn & wolfe - Dominique Kerforn, dominique.kerforn@bcw-global.com, 06 26 39 83 73 Agence de la biomédecine - presse@biomedecine.fr