Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility preservation activities in France: A survey by the Groupe de Recherche et d'Etude sur la Conservation Ovarienne et Testiculaire (GRECOT; group for research and studies on ovarian and testicular preservation)

Abstract

Background: To study the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic for fertility preservation activities in France.Basic procedures: A questionnaire was sent to all the fertility preservation centres, requesting, for fertility preservation techniques (gamete and gonadal tissue preservation), the number of patients managed before, during and after the lockdown, and the number of patients who were not able to have access to these techniques and thus suffered definitive losses of fertility, during the lockdown period in spring 2020.Main findings: Fertility preservation activities in France did not cease entirely during the lockdown, but a 42.6% decrease in activity was observed.After lockdown, the levels of sperm, testicular and ovarian tissue cryopreservation returned to pre-lockdown levels (95.2%). The restoration of activity was partial only for oocyte freezing, which reached a level 56.8% that before lockdown. In total, 45 patients (8.35%) lost all chance of fertility preservation during the lockdown period.Principal conclusions: In France, fertility preservation activities were significantly affected by the lockdown in spring 2020 linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.