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Dallas IVF is here to help protect your family from Zika virus

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Every day, it seems like there’s something on the news about Zika virus.

zika in Dallas The physicians at Dallas IVF know that you’re probably worried about the virus and how it might impact your future children. However, our Dallas fertility center team wants you to know that you can protect your family with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and guidance from our physicians in Frisco, and McKinney.

Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should avoid certain areas

Zika virus is not serious for most people; however, it can cause birth defects if a baby is exposed in utero. The physicians at our Dallas fertility center share with our patients that the best way to protect your unborn baby is to avoid areas that are experiencing a Zika virus outbreak.

  • Several people have contracted Zika in two areas of Miami, FL (the Wynwood neighborhood and part of Miami Beach). The CDC recommends that pregnant women and their partners postpone travel to Miami-Dade County. If you must travel to Miami, the CDC has some useful information here.
  • In addition to Miami, local transmission of the disease has been reported in three United States territories (American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) and in numerous countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. You can find more information about the specific countries here.

If your partner must travel to an endemic area, you may want to consider sperm freezing

Zika virus can be sexually transmitted, so our Dallas fertility center recommends postponing pregnancy or considering sperm freezing if your partner will be traveling to an endemic area.

  • If your partner shows symptoms of Zika after his travels, you should wait at least six months before trying to get pregnant.
  • If he doesn’t show any symptoms after his trip, you should still wait at least eight weeks before you try to conceive. You should also talk to your physician.
  • However, if your partner freezes his sperm before his trip, you don’t have to wait to get pregnant. The Dallas IVF physicians can answer any questions you have about this fertility preserving procedure.

Our knowledge of Zika virus is evolving every day. As we learn more about the virus, we will share this information with you.

On Sept. 1, the CDC released a fact sheet: LGBT Community: How to Protect Yourselves from Zika.

https://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/lgbt-zika-fact-sheet.pdf

If you’d like more information about Zika virus, please contact us today at our Dallas IVF offices in Frisco, and McKinney.