THE RELATIONSHIP OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY WITH COVID-19
INFECTION IN WOMEN
Abstract
Backgrounds: To investigate the association between assisted
reproductive technology (ART) treatments and the Coronavirus Disease
2019 (COVID-19). Methods: The data of the 17 infertility patients who
were treated with ART between 01 and 11 March 2020 at a Reproductive
Endocrinology and Infertility Unit of a tertiary center were collected
retrospectively. The patients were then asked if they were positive for
the COVID-19 or had symptoms of the illness. Results: Ovarian
stimulation, oocyte pick-up, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection were
used for all of the patients. Nine (52.9%) patients’ embryos were
transferred and pregnancy was detected in 4 of the 9 patients after the
assisted reproductive treatments. At the time of the interview, none of
the infertile women had any symptoms of the COVID-19 or a confirmed
diagnosis from a positive test result for the COVID-19 nucleic acids by
real-time fluorescence reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
Conclusion: When turning to normal practice life, all patients should be
evaluated for COVID-19 during pre, per and post-treatment time in order
to stop the ART and protect against the cases from the possible side
effects of assisted reproductive treatments, especially the possible,
but undefined, predisposition factor to COVID-19.