Abstract

INFERTILITY AND COVID 19

Dr. Eman Abdulhussein Alwan*, Dr. Sawsan Mohammed Funon and Dr. Hanaa Hussein Kandooh Al-Esmail

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is a global pandemic, and each country has devised a unique strategy to contain and eliminate the virus's spread. All actions are in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO). Several scientific bodies, including the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, have issued suggestions and assistance to help IVF patients overcome and flatten the rising infection curves. The virus that causes COVID-19 does not appear to have any harmful consequences on IVF outcomes, but fertility treatments have been put on hold to relieve the strain on healthcare systems. It's impossible to rule out the likelihood that the virus affects sperm and egg function. The virus may also have an impact on gametes and embryos during their modification. There are several theories about how the virus might damage gametes and embryos, as well as the normal functioning of the embryology laboratory, in this commentary. The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has infected people in around 200 nations as of the time of this writing. Infecting unciliated bronchial epithelial cells and type II pneumonocytes, coronaviruses, which are commonly seen in mammals and other animals, cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Coronaviruses belong to the family Coronaviridae (CoV). Fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other flu-like symptoms, like pneumonia (Ashour et al., 2020), are the most common side effects. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) have both issued statements in the last eight weeks recommending against the use of COVID-19 in pregnant women. SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant women are not a group at greater risk of sickness, as there have been accounts of women giving birth to healthy children while being infected with the virus (in Greece there are currently three cases). This could be evidence that the virus cannot be transmitted intrauterinally. Despite this, there is increasing evidence that pregnant women are at greater risk of sickness from SARS-CoV-2-positive moms, and this, along with the existence of antibodies in an infant delivered to a SARS-CoV-2-positive mother, places pregnant women in the group at greater risk. Additionally, the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESRHE) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) have issued guidelines on assisted conception. – Fertility treatments should be stopped except for those who have a low response rate, which may cause further stress for couples who really want a child. They have also recommended delaying new therapies and an alternative freeze-all procedure for couples who have already received human chorionic gonadotrophin triggering. When preserving a woman's fertility is at stake, cryopreservation of her gametes should be explored. Although the link between SARS-CoV-2 and pregnancy resulting from ART therapies is still shrouded in mystery, fertility centers have stopped performing fertility treatments for the time being (La Marca et al., 2020; Rodriguez-Wallberg and Wikander, 2020).

Keywords: COVID-19, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fertility.