Open AccessThe Effect of COVID -19 Pandemic on Outcome of Assisted Reproductive Technology; a Report from a Single Infertility Center
Author(s) -
Batool Hossein Rashidi,
Mahin Bandarian,
Fatemeh Bandarian,
Ensieh Shahrokh Tehraninejad,
Mina Jafarabadi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of family and reproductive health./journal of family and reproductive health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1735-8949
pISSN - 1735-9392
DOI - 10.18502/jfrh.v16i1.8598
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , embryo transfer , assisted reproductive technology , infertility , abortion , covid-19 , outbreak , pandemic , live birth , obstetrics , pregnancy rate , reproductive medicine , retrospective cohort study , gynecology , cohort study , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , biology , genetics
Objective: COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of human life including social, economic, healthy behaviors and even individual relationships. This study aimed to investigate the effect of corona virus outbreak on assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcome.
Materials and methods: In this retrospective and prospective cohort, 260 ART cycles of ovum pick up (OPU), fresh embryo transfer (ET) and frozen embryo transfer (FET) were evaluated in 223 women (from December 2019 to February 2020) and during COVID-19 outbreak (February and July 2020) in an infertility center. Primary and secondary outcomes of ART cycles including chemical and clinical pregnancy rate were evaluated.
Results: The mean±SD (standard deviation) age of women was 34.17±6.56 years. Chemical and clinical pregnancy rates were 23.91% (33/138) per embryo transfer and 75.8% (25/33) per positive pregnancy test, respectively while ongoing pregnancy was seen only in 69.7% (23/33) of those with positive pregnancy test. Spontaneous abortion rate was 15.15% (5/33) per laboratory pregnancy. COVID-19 symptoms were reported in 2.83% and 15.38% of women during and after ART cycles, respectively.
Conclusion: It seems that COVID-19 pandemic has not negative effect on outcome of ART cycles except for cancelation rate due to COVID-19 that increased at the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak as it was unknown at that time and awareness was limited.