Selected Podcast
Covid Vaccine and Pregnancy; ACOG Recommendations; Addressing the Delta Variant
Dr. Alan Martinez discusses the many contraception choices available, the right way to use them, and whether they'll affect your ability to get pregnant in the future.
Featured Speaker:
After graduating with distinction with a B.S in biology and B.A. in psychology from San Diego State University, Dr. Martinez received his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed his obstetrics and gynecology residency training at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, an affiliate teaching institution with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He completed his fellowship training at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Alan Martinez, MD
Dr. Alan Martinez is a specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. He was drawn to this specialty because it is an ever-evolving field of medicine that allows him to partner with patients and provide personalized treatment plans. He also appreciates that the field is filled with the latest laboratory technology, which continues to advance success rates.After graduating with distinction with a B.S in biology and B.A. in psychology from San Diego State University, Dr. Martinez received his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed his obstetrics and gynecology residency training at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, an affiliate teaching institution with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He completed his fellowship training at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Transcription:
Melanie: Welcome to Fertility Talk with RSCNJ, the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. I'm Melanie Cole. And today, we're updating our information on the COVID vaccine and pregnancy, new ACOG recommendations and questions about the Delta variant. Joining me is Dr. Alan Martinez. He's a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
Dr. Martinez, it's always a pleasure to have you with us. And you and I have done this before, but we're updating this today. So first of all, what have we learned about COVID and pregnancy, the mom and the fetus, whether it's Delta or COVID-19. Tell us a little bit about what we know now that maybe we didn't know before or if it's still pretty much what we know.
Dr Alan Martinez: Well, thank you for having me today. I'm always glad to speak on any subject, especially COVID because it's very relevant. So compared to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I think now more than ever, the scientific research, the evidence out there and the number of patients as with regards to the vaccination risks, the benefits, it's pretty clear that the vaccine now, all the major marketers of the vaccine essentially, should be recommended and are really safe and should be considered kind of standard of care for all patients that are thinking about getting pregnant or who are actually even in pregnancy.
So, since we last had our talk regarding the COVID-19 and pregnancy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends and endorses vaccination for those women trying to conceive and thinking about becoming pregnant and planning to become pregnant in the immediate future. So those are the major differences for the pregnancy-related patients.
Melanie: As far as your office specifically, Dr. Martinez, what protocols in the office have been affected by the variant? Because for a little while we saw this decrease, people had been masking and quarantining, and our numbers went down and then they started to rise again. So what's changed with your practice?
Dr Alan Martinez: Yes, you're absolutely correct. That's exactly the trend that was seen really in the United States and even throughout the world previous to the Delta variant coming, first identified really in the United States was March of this year. Even though the vaccination rates are not extremely high for all adults and it varies tremendously throughout states and countries in general, we were seeing a large decrease. Since that time with the Delta variant, which is extremely contagious compared to the original Alpha variant, that's standard COVID, we've seen a large increase in patient cases.
So for our practice AND many medical practices, we were initially allowing the partners to come into the procedures for a little bit as the rates went down. We were more concerned with contamination and touching surfaces and things like that. And so we really had much more initial restricted limitations. And since that time, we've kind of seen a little relaxation even within our own office. Although we screen, we do not screen for temperatures because that is not as predictive as symptoms and contacts and those you've been sick with. But we've pretty much continued with the very cautious questionnaire screening, and just encourage our patients to be forthcoming in any symptoms. If they're not healthy, please do not come into the office. And so this has become more important, especially with the Delta variant in our hands now.
Melanie: So then let's talk about the Delta variant of concern right now. It's at the level of concern. So I understand there's different levels of these. So what would you like to tell women about this variant, its effect on fertility and if they are either trying to get pregnant, thinking about trying to get pregnant or they are pregnant as of now? What would you like them to know about the variant and these new ACOG recommendations and really what you want them to do to keep safe?
Dr Alan Martinez: For pregnant women, and it really goes for the general population of anyone who is eligible for vaccination, we've seen now COVID-19 go above the level of the Spanish flu in 1918. We have over 600,000 people that have died, number one pandemic ever seen in the United States. And we've seen the various vaccination rates in states where they're high, the number of Delta cases and the number of overall COVID has increased, but the number of hospitalizations and the death rates have not at the level that you would expect, and that's because of vaccination.
And I sit across the table from women and husbands and wives that have lost sisters, two cousins less than 40 years of age, healthy individuals, two parents in Egypt, two parents in Italy, all over the world. And we see the devastation that this has. And many of what we've seen over the last six months in our country and worldwide are due to Delta. We know that it's probably 60% more transmissible and that means the spread of this variant extends so much faster than the original variant, which with the evidence in which we know about Pfizer and Moderna and J&J and all of these vaccine companies that have brought forth the vaccines is that even with the Delta variant, they may not be at quite the high level of the original COVID virus, but we know that even like Pfizer, there's some published data on that, 88% are still protected from that severe illness and hospitalization and death. So when you look at the evidence, when you look at who gets sick and who ends up in the hospital, who fills the ICUs to capacity and who dies from this illness, it is those that are unvaccinated at this time.
And ACOG, many societies throughout the United States and throughout the world want young women to get this who are eligible, pregnant women, but more so we want the general public to get this because, as we learn more about the viruses, they will mutate, they will be around. This may be around for quite some time, but anything we can do to increase those vaccination rates to where we can keep our family or friends out of the hospitals from severe illness and/or death and to slow down this immense rate of loss that people are experiencing and the tremendous effect it has on the medical facilities throughout the United States. We are encouraging the vaccination for all of those who meet eligibility.
And I know finally the booster shots, there's a lot of energy that's going into looking at these and seeing the effects of how the different companies who make the vaccines can best be utilized with their boosters. We know at least six months, we know at least in those who are older than 50 or with chronic medical conditions or those who are immunocompromised. It will be expanding in the near future. And this is a way we can get a hold of the virus variants and we're going to have to adjust as a society, but it's very important to stress to our patients and to the general society the importance of vaccination.
So please talk to your medical providers and they will speak honestly with you. We try to give the evidence and I treat the patients as if they were my family members and I want to convey the importance of it. And I would give this to my daughter. I would give this to my wife, to my cousins, to my sister, anybody who just to keep us all safe. That's what I wanted to say today. Thank you for having me.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Dr. Martinez. I just have one more question if that's okay, because I guess people are wondering, and there's a lot of myths and you've really cleared everything up so beautifully. I can hear the passion because the medical community is really suffering right now. They are going through unimaginable, really unimaginable stress, trying to keep everybody safe. So for women wondering the effect on fertility from this vaccination that we are promoting and that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology is promoting, can you just tell us about the vaccine and its effect on fertility? And please clear up that myth for us just right here and right now.
Dr Alan Martinez: Yes. The vaccine is safe. There's no evidence that it decreases your fertility, that it leads to any subfertility, or it makes it harder get pregnant. And we know that if you get pregnant and you get COVID and you can have a tremendous amount of getting sick if you're exposed to the virus. So that's another reason of why the earlier you can do it, the better. It's safe. Please consider getting vaccinated.
Melanie: One hundred percent agree. And thank you so much, Dr. Martinez, for joining us today and really sharing your expertise, your passion and your voice, because we need to hear it from the trusted experts at the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. Thank you so much.
That concludes this episode of Fertility Talk with RSCNJ, the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. For more information, you can always visit fertilitynj.com to get connected with one of our providers. Please share this show with your friends and family. We're learning from the experts at RSCNJ together, and this is quality information you can trust. I'm Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Melanie: Welcome to Fertility Talk with RSCNJ, the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. I'm Melanie Cole. And today, we're updating our information on the COVID vaccine and pregnancy, new ACOG recommendations and questions about the Delta variant. Joining me is Dr. Alan Martinez. He's a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey.
Dr. Martinez, it's always a pleasure to have you with us. And you and I have done this before, but we're updating this today. So first of all, what have we learned about COVID and pregnancy, the mom and the fetus, whether it's Delta or COVID-19. Tell us a little bit about what we know now that maybe we didn't know before or if it's still pretty much what we know.
Dr Alan Martinez: Well, thank you for having me today. I'm always glad to speak on any subject, especially COVID because it's very relevant. So compared to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I think now more than ever, the scientific research, the evidence out there and the number of patients as with regards to the vaccination risks, the benefits, it's pretty clear that the vaccine now, all the major marketers of the vaccine essentially, should be recommended and are really safe and should be considered kind of standard of care for all patients that are thinking about getting pregnant or who are actually even in pregnancy.
So, since we last had our talk regarding the COVID-19 and pregnancy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends and endorses vaccination for those women trying to conceive and thinking about becoming pregnant and planning to become pregnant in the immediate future. So those are the major differences for the pregnancy-related patients.
Melanie: As far as your office specifically, Dr. Martinez, what protocols in the office have been affected by the variant? Because for a little while we saw this decrease, people had been masking and quarantining, and our numbers went down and then they started to rise again. So what's changed with your practice?
Dr Alan Martinez: Yes, you're absolutely correct. That's exactly the trend that was seen really in the United States and even throughout the world previous to the Delta variant coming, first identified really in the United States was March of this year. Even though the vaccination rates are not extremely high for all adults and it varies tremendously throughout states and countries in general, we were seeing a large decrease. Since that time with the Delta variant, which is extremely contagious compared to the original Alpha variant, that's standard COVID, we've seen a large increase in patient cases.
So for our practice AND many medical practices, we were initially allowing the partners to come into the procedures for a little bit as the rates went down. We were more concerned with contamination and touching surfaces and things like that. And so we really had much more initial restricted limitations. And since that time, we've kind of seen a little relaxation even within our own office. Although we screen, we do not screen for temperatures because that is not as predictive as symptoms and contacts and those you've been sick with. But we've pretty much continued with the very cautious questionnaire screening, and just encourage our patients to be forthcoming in any symptoms. If they're not healthy, please do not come into the office. And so this has become more important, especially with the Delta variant in our hands now.
Melanie: So then let's talk about the Delta variant of concern right now. It's at the level of concern. So I understand there's different levels of these. So what would you like to tell women about this variant, its effect on fertility and if they are either trying to get pregnant, thinking about trying to get pregnant or they are pregnant as of now? What would you like them to know about the variant and these new ACOG recommendations and really what you want them to do to keep safe?
Dr Alan Martinez: For pregnant women, and it really goes for the general population of anyone who is eligible for vaccination, we've seen now COVID-19 go above the level of the Spanish flu in 1918. We have over 600,000 people that have died, number one pandemic ever seen in the United States. And we've seen the various vaccination rates in states where they're high, the number of Delta cases and the number of overall COVID has increased, but the number of hospitalizations and the death rates have not at the level that you would expect, and that's because of vaccination.
And I sit across the table from women and husbands and wives that have lost sisters, two cousins less than 40 years of age, healthy individuals, two parents in Egypt, two parents in Italy, all over the world. And we see the devastation that this has. And many of what we've seen over the last six months in our country and worldwide are due to Delta. We know that it's probably 60% more transmissible and that means the spread of this variant extends so much faster than the original variant, which with the evidence in which we know about Pfizer and Moderna and J&J and all of these vaccine companies that have brought forth the vaccines is that even with the Delta variant, they may not be at quite the high level of the original COVID virus, but we know that even like Pfizer, there's some published data on that, 88% are still protected from that severe illness and hospitalization and death. So when you look at the evidence, when you look at who gets sick and who ends up in the hospital, who fills the ICUs to capacity and who dies from this illness, it is those that are unvaccinated at this time.
And ACOG, many societies throughout the United States and throughout the world want young women to get this who are eligible, pregnant women, but more so we want the general public to get this because, as we learn more about the viruses, they will mutate, they will be around. This may be around for quite some time, but anything we can do to increase those vaccination rates to where we can keep our family or friends out of the hospitals from severe illness and/or death and to slow down this immense rate of loss that people are experiencing and the tremendous effect it has on the medical facilities throughout the United States. We are encouraging the vaccination for all of those who meet eligibility.
And I know finally the booster shots, there's a lot of energy that's going into looking at these and seeing the effects of how the different companies who make the vaccines can best be utilized with their boosters. We know at least six months, we know at least in those who are older than 50 or with chronic medical conditions or those who are immunocompromised. It will be expanding in the near future. And this is a way we can get a hold of the virus variants and we're going to have to adjust as a society, but it's very important to stress to our patients and to the general society the importance of vaccination.
So please talk to your medical providers and they will speak honestly with you. We try to give the evidence and I treat the patients as if they were my family members and I want to convey the importance of it. And I would give this to my daughter. I would give this to my wife, to my cousins, to my sister, anybody who just to keep us all safe. That's what I wanted to say today. Thank you for having me.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Dr. Martinez. I just have one more question if that's okay, because I guess people are wondering, and there's a lot of myths and you've really cleared everything up so beautifully. I can hear the passion because the medical community is really suffering right now. They are going through unimaginable, really unimaginable stress, trying to keep everybody safe. So for women wondering the effect on fertility from this vaccination that we are promoting and that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology is promoting, can you just tell us about the vaccine and its effect on fertility? And please clear up that myth for us just right here and right now.
Dr Alan Martinez: Yes. The vaccine is safe. There's no evidence that it decreases your fertility, that it leads to any subfertility, or it makes it harder get pregnant. And we know that if you get pregnant and you get COVID and you can have a tremendous amount of getting sick if you're exposed to the virus. So that's another reason of why the earlier you can do it, the better. It's safe. Please consider getting vaccinated.
Melanie: One hundred percent agree. And thank you so much, Dr. Martinez, for joining us today and really sharing your expertise, your passion and your voice, because we need to hear it from the trusted experts at the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. Thank you so much.
That concludes this episode of Fertility Talk with RSCNJ, the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey. For more information, you can always visit fertilitynj.com to get connected with one of our providers. Please share this show with your friends and family. We're learning from the experts at RSCNJ together, and this is quality information you can trust. I'm Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for joining us today.