Seeking Infertility Services? Experts Recommend Seeking H1N1 Immunization First

New research from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development confirms the need for H1N1 vaccines in women before undergoing infertility treatment.

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a PubMed search, the number of infertility visits, H1N1 vaccination rate, H1N1 infection rate, the number of obstetric patients hospitalized with H1N1, and maternal death rate from H1N1 were estimated.

It was found that at the current immunization rate of about 24%, up to 17.5 maternal deaths could be prevented by H1N1 immunization. If all women receive the vaccination before infertility treatments, they researchers estimated 72 deaths would be prevented.

Last year, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the CDC issued a joint statement calling for women to be vaccinated for the H1N1 virus prior to undergoing infertility treatments.

Based on these findings, William Gibbons, MD, President of the ASRM, concluded, “We stand by our recommendation and urge all women to receive an H1N1 vaccine prior to undergoing infertility treatments.”