Abstract
PurposeThis study sought the views of women with impaired fertility on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their fertility treatment and psychological wellbeing.MethodsA cross-sectional, anonymous, online questionnaire was completed in June–December 2020 by 249 women attending fertility clinics across Germany. All women seeking treatment in fertility clinics were eligible to participate. The online survey covered questions about the patient’s quality of life, their opinions about the professional societies’ recommendations and their effects as well as any concerns about infection with SARS-CoV-2.ResultsThree-quarters of participants disagreed with the pausing of fertility treatments. Women who participated from October to December 2020, when the incidence rate was high, were as likely to disagree as participants that participated from June to September 2020 (73% vs 79%, p = 0.3). Seventy-two participants (29%) had their appointments cancelled. Nearly all (97%) reported being upset by this, with 40 (56%) reporting that they were extremely or very disappointed about the cancellation. Women who had to wait 10 weeks or longer were more likely to be upset by the postponement or cancellation of their appointment than women who had to wait a shorter amount of time (p = 0.01). Many participants (41%) were worried about possible negative effects a SARS-CoV-2 infection might have related to their fertility, pregnancy or unborn child.ConclusionPostponement of treatments increased distress among patients and should be avoided when possible. Fertility clinics must provide information about the current state of knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 infections in pregnancies and options for immunization.
Highlights
In December 2019, the first outbreak of the novel Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) took place in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China [1]
Only 26% reported they were very or moderately concerned about the potential negative effects of an infection on fertility. This cross-sectional survey sought the views of women seeking fertility treatment in Germany on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on three primary objectives
While there have been studies concerning the emotional impact of the suspension of treatments [7,8,9, 11,12,13], this is the first to have been conducted in Germany where, in 2020, incidence and case fatality rates were relatively low compared to many other European countries [14]
Summary
In December 2019, the first outbreak of the novel Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) took place in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China [1]. It is important that psychological effects of the postponement of fertility treatments are studied within this already vulnerable population. Previous studies in Canada and the United States, Italy and Israel have shown that postponing fertility clinic appointments can cause psychological distress, with most patients in those studies saying that they would have preferred to continue treatment despite the potential risk of infection from meeting other patients and clinic staff and travelling to clinic appointments [7,8,9]. This study was conducted over a longer period of time than the previous studies, allowing the effect on the opinions and concerns of participants of changes in the COVID-19 incidence rate to be assessed. Concerns that fertility clinic patients might have about the possible consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 infection on fertility and pregnancy have not been studied previously
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