Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infected pregancies after medically assisted reproduction

Abstract

Study question: What is the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on the outcome of a pregnancy after medically assisted reproduction (MAR)?

Summary answer: Our results suggest that MAR pregnancies are not differentially affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to spontaneous pregnancies.

What is known already: Information on the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pregnancy after MAR is scarce when women get infected during MAR or early pregnancy, even though such information is vital for informing women seeking pregnancy.

Study design, size, duration: Data from SARS-CoV-2 affected MAR pregnancies were collected between May 2020 and June 2021 through a voluntary data collection, organised by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Participants/materials, setting, methods: All ESHRE members were invited to participate to an online data collection for SARS-CoV-2-infected MAR pregnancies.

Main results and the role of chance: The dataset includes 80 cases from 32 countries, including 67 live births, 10 miscarriages, 2 stillbirths and 1 maternal death. An additional 25pregnancies were ongoing at the time of writing.

Limitations, reasons for caution: An international data registry based on voluntary contribution can be subject to selective reporting with possible risks of over- or under-estimation.

Wider implications of the findings: The current data can be used to guide clinical decisions in the care of women pregnant after MAR, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study funding/competing interest(s): The authors acknowledge the support of ESHRE for the data registry and meetings. J.S.T. reports grants or contracts from Sigrid Juselius Foundation, EU and Helsinki University Hospital Funds, outside the scope of the current work. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Trial registration number: N/A.

Keywords: COVID-19; ESHRE; IVF; SARS-CoV-2; medically assisted reproduction; pregnancy.