The Effect of COVID -19 Pandemic on Outcome of Assisted Reproductive Technology; a Report from a Single Infertility Center

Batool Hossein Rashidi; Mahin Bandarian; Fatemeh Bandarian; Ensieh Shahrokh Tehraninejad; Mina Jafarabadi

doi:10.18502/jfrh.v16i1.8598

Batool Hossein Rashidi Vali-e-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahin Bandarian Vali-e-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Fatemeh Bandarian Metabolomics and Genomics Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular-Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ensieh Shahrokh Tehraninejad Vali-e-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mina Jafarabadi Vali-e-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jfrh.v16i1.8598

Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemics; Assisted Reproductive Technique; Infertility

Abstract

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.