key: cord-1043532-ffzj65fq
authors: Blumenfeld, Zeev
title: The possible impact of COVID 19 on fertility and ART
date: 2020-05-23
journal: Fertil Steril
DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.05.023
sha: a4786cc9ff4f13be6369f45aa2da55ba61520b76
doc_id: 1043532
cord_uid: ffzj65fq

nan

infection did not exert an increased risk of complications or severe disease vs non pregnant women with comparative age and infection (2) . Neonatal throat swabs testing of eight newborns for SARS-CoV-2 was negative, as well as breast-milk samples from three parturients (2) .

Nevertheless, living with uncertainty, has led most countries to outright cancel all assisted reproductive technology (ART)/ IVF interventions and actually all fertility treatments, except of fertility preservation in patients exposed to gonadotoxic chemo-or radiotherapy. However, due to the declining success rates of ART/IVF in late reproductive age women, several countries have reintroduced and many more are considering resuming these treatments, initially in women older that 39 years, and later even to younger patients. It is imperative, therefore, to know whether SARS-CoV-2 may infect gametes and embrya, considering the possible consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on natural conceptions and on ART/IVF generated pregnancies.

Most recently, in a report from a Wuhan university hospital in China, none of the serum or throat swab of the newborns of six parturients with confirmed COVID-19 displayed SARS-CoV-19 using RT-PCR (1). However, their neonatal umbilical blood did display virus-specific antibodies Most recently, a Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical laboratory has developed a coronavirus vaccine called mRNA-1273, which has been tested on human volunteers, apparently effective.

It is hoped that these preliminary encouraging reports are validated and prove reliable. It is, therefore, suggested to consider immunizing first infertile couples, before ART/IVF with these vaccines, after proven safety and efficacy, before turning on to global immunization of all the public. The COVID19 disease challenges all the medical specialties, including reproductive medicine. Since many clinical questions remain unanswered yet, all the health care providers need to be on the alert, amend and adjust the treatment modalities according to the day-to-day changing information and published experience on the behavior of this new and unknown disease.

Antibodies in Infants Born to Mothers With COVID-19 Pneumonia

Clinical Characteristics of Pregnant Women with Covid-19 in Wuhan, China

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and fertility: viral host entry protein expression in male and female reproductive tissues

Clinical Characteristics and Results of Semen Tests Among Men With Coronavirus Disease

Cross-neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 by a human monoclonal SARS-CoV antibody