ASRM 2023: Integrating Advances and Addressing Challenges in Reproductive Medicine

ASRM 2023 Scientific Congress & Expo | Image Credit: Google Play

Health care professionals and investigators will convene to discuss the latest discoveries and practices in reproductive health at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 2023 Scientific Congress & Expo in New Orleans, LA, from October 14-18.¹

Offerings at this year's meeting include new roundtable sessions in Spanish, an expanded selection of resident participation opportunities, and an e-poster format for individual presentations during poster sessions held each day. Those who attend will leave with strategies and solutions that simplify technology, offer practice guidance, and enhance patient care, according to an announcement from ASRM.

The weekend kickoff features a plethora of postgraduate courses with some opportunities for hands-on learning which will continue throughout the week. The weekdays each begin with live events and a pair of plenary sessions, shifting into symposia, interactive discussions, and clinical abstract and poster presentations.

David Adamson, MD, CEO of ARC Fertility, and pst president of the ASRM, spoke with The American Journal of Managed CareⓇ (AJMCⓇ) about the interactive session he will co-host on Wednesday: "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, or Why We Should Stick With Professional Guidelines."

Adamson emphasized the crucial role of guidelines for providers when it comes to ensuring appropriate infertility care.

"The single biggest benefit of the guidelines that we've seen in the United States with respect to infertility and IVF has been the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology guidelines on the number of embryos to transfer," he said.

Other interactive sessions will cover “Managing Great Expectations: What to do when patient preferences and provider counsel diverges,” genomics, uterine transplantation, genetic counseling, cesarean scar isthmoceles, and “Rethinking the Use of Race as a Risk Factor”, among others.

In addition to special sessions spanning from assisted reproductive technology (ART) to complex family planning, there will be a focus on reproductive justice and managing medicine in a country with varying reproductive laws.

Since the overturn of Roe v Wade in 2022, clinicians in the field have faced changes and challenges due to the evolving legislature enacted across US states and the implications for reproductive medicine.

Another area of growing interest is the conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), whether in relation to family planning or the alarming disparities seen within the field.

Just last month, the CDC released data demonstrating rising rates of maternal death in the US, impacting people of color to the highest degrees. In addition, the report assessed the level of respect received in maternity care, and about 1 in 5 patients reported mistreatment.²

While these results may not be surprising to many who work in the space, the evidence is accumulating and experts in the field have not only been shedding light on these issues, but are working to pinpoint the gaps in the healthcare system that perpetuate them.

“Because there is so much of this data now and so many stories of not being respected when you come into the health care system, many Black women and women of color are choosing to not come into the health care system,” Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD, MAS, from Ochsner Medical Center, Kenner, said in a recent interview with AJMC. “They’re either delaying their time of coming in or choosing to not interact with with the structural health care system at all.”

ASRM 2023 will bring experts in the field together to raise awareness of reproductive health disparities and ways to expand reproductive health access, as well as improve research on disparities in the United States.

References

1. ASRM 2023 Registration Now Open! ASRM. Accessed October 13. 2023. https://www.asrm.org/news-and-events/asrm-news/announcements/register-now-for-the-premier-event-in-reproductive-medicine/

2. Grossi G. Dr Veronica Gillispie-Bell Addresses Racial Disparities in Maternity Care. AJMC. August 28, 2023. https://www.ajmc.com/view/dr-veronica-gillispie-bell-racial-disparities-maternity-care