June 27, 2022
Video transcribed below.
Hi this is Dr. Samuel Brown. Today we’re talking about the Roe v Wade implications in an infertility practice. First myth is, no – we’re still in business. We can still help couples have families and we’re still celebrating life and having fertility treatments. 1 out of 8 Americans have infertility and we continue to treat them and have beautiful babies.
Q: As the medical director of Brown Fertility, what are your overall thoughts?
A: Our overall thoughts are concerning in that now each state makes their own regulations in regards to when does life begin, and then they put abortion laws in place. So for us, we deal with life at the beginning. So we’re very involved in life and we want to have a partnership with the state in regard to how they define life, because it does affect women’s health care and infertility health care. For example, a miscarriage is not life, an ectopic pregnancy is not life, an anencephalic pregnancy is not life. So we’re very respectful of life, but there are circumstances where the pregnancy is not a life, and it can only harm the woman, and there’s medical intervention necessary. So we want to be involved with the regulators and when you define life. In general, it’s after an egg and sperm have united to become an embryo, and when it implants in the uterus, and then on ultrasound at 6-8 weeks of pregnancy, if you see a heartbeat, in most cases that’s going to be a life, probably 97% of the time. But 3% of the time it’s still a problem, for example, a molar pregnancy would not be considered a life; an ectopic pregnancy is not a life; it only harms a mother’s life. So we want to be involved in helping our regulators and our patients understand “when does life begin.” And then we’re hopeful that our regulators will continue to regulate with these principles in mind.
Q: Will my cycle be canceled?
A: No cycles will be canceled. Women will continue to have eggs fertilized and have embryos frozen. If anything, it’s going to increase frozen embryo transfer cycles and not decrease them. But it may limit the number of eggs that we fertilize during a routine IVF cycle, and it may lead to more genetic testing of embryos.
Q: Do I need to worry about moving my embryos outside of Florida?
A: So far, Florida law hasn’t changed, and there’s no need to move embryos to long term storage facilities outside of Florida, or anywhere else. We’re continuing business as is.
Q: Is Brown Fertility making any immediate changes to IVF?
A: We are making no immediate changes to limit fertilization at this point.
Q: What is your advice to patients and followers watching?
A: My advice is to keep the eyes to our government – our Florida state government, specifically. We have a lot of patients in every state. The Georgia legislature and others, to see if they change any of their definitions on life and if abortions are allowable or not. It just depends on how they define life. Also, if anybody has any influence with our regulators, we want to communicate – have a partnership with regulators – in helping them understand the medical science behind life.