COVID-19 and Infertility

Dr. Sushitra Thangjam &
Dr. Deepak Goenka
IVF SPECIALISTS

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Covid-19 is the infectious disease caused by the corona virus, SARS-COV 2 which is a respiratory pathogen. WHO first learned of this new virus from cases in WUHAN, People’s Republic of CHINA on 31^st December 2019.

The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a major pandemic threat worldwide. Such a public health emergency can greatly impact various aspects of people’s health and lives.

Impact of Covid-19 on infertility is not properly understood as SARS-COV 2 is a newly emerging virus, many researches are still going on in this area, but there are no studies indicating that this virus has got direct impact on fertility. But according to few fertility experts, there are some potential risks for reproductive health including the reproductive system and its functioning as well as gamete and embryo development. These may be due to virus itself, drug treatment, chemical disinfectants and psychological effects related to panic.

The virus affects the male testicle directly resulting in disturbing spermatogenesis and steroid hormone production. This results in decreasing sperm quality and sperm production. Due to high fever, there is reduced sperm number and ability to swim. The use of chemical disinfectants containing 75% alcohol results in significantly higher levels of volatile organic compounds in IVF lab which increase the risk of egg fertilization failure, induce embryonic retardation, and lead to adverse outcomes of IVF. Psychological effects like stress, anxiety, and fear also affect the fertility outcome.

On the other side, there were many couples who were staying in different cities due to their professional commitments, got opportunities to stay together during this Covid time. As a result, we have also seen many pregnancies among couples who were previously considered infertile.

Regarding fertility treatment during this pandemic, if there is no infection, there is no indication to change the plan of fertility treatment. Some women seek out egg freezing as a preventive measure but there is no reason to panic if there is no infection or there is no medical reason for egg freezing. But if you have got infection you should avoid conceiving until you are well. Fertility treatment should be postponed if you have flu-like symptoms or if you have contact with corona infected patient.

To rule out COVID-19, RT-PCR should be advised to all couple before starting any infertility treatment as per guidelines issued by different fertility societies of India and worldwide such as ISAR/ IFS/ ACE/ ESHRE/ ASRM.