Assisted Reproductive Technology During COVID-19: A Population-Based Study Of Pregnancy Outcomes.

Abstract

We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pregnancy outcomes of patients who used assisted reproductive technology. We conducted a population-based cohort study of 443,101 patients who conceived naturally or with assisted reproductive technology between December 2015 and July 2021 and had a delivery in hospitals of Quebec, Canada. The main exposure measure was use of assisted reproductive technology before or during the pandemic. Outcomes included preeclampsia, preterm birth, and other pregnancy complications. We used adjusted log-binomial regression models to estimate risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of assisted reproductive technology with adverse pregnancy outcomes compared with natural conception before vs. during the pandemic. In secondary analyses, we examined the association of COVID-19 infection with pregnancy outcomes among women who used assisted reproductive technology. Compared with natural conception, assisted reproductive technology was associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia (RR 1.43; 95% CI 1.21-1.68), preterm birth (RR 2.07; 95% CI 1.84-2.33), and low birth weight (RR 1.94; 95% CI 1.72-2.20) during the pandemic. However, the same risks were also present before the pandemic. Compared with no infection, COVID-19 infection was not associated with adverse outcomes among women who conceived with assisted reproductive technology. This study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact the pregnancy outcomes of women who underwent assisted reproductive procedures in Quebec. The findings are reassuring for patients concerned about the potential reproductive effects of the pandemic.