Coronavirus And Fertility - 7 Things You Should Know

Planning on starting your army of mini-mes soon? Here’s what you should keep in mind

- Dr Sunil Eshwar

The pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down, and even the best-laid plans have gone awry. Some of us are still reeling under its effects and some of us are trying our best to adapt to this new normal. We, eventually, will have to learn to co-exist with COVID-19, while observing safety measures of course. If you’re someone who thought 2020 was the year to start your family, you may have put these plans on hold due to certain myths and discussions on the internet as to why you shouldn’t. We at M&B attempted to debunk those myths and discuss some frequently asked questions about the effects of the Coronavirus on fertility.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS ON FEMALE AND MALE FERTILITY?

It has been generally known that infections that cause a fever could interfere with fertility treatments. For women undergoing ovarian stimulation, and having a fever during their cycle, it has been observed that there were a lower number of eggs retrieved, higher doses of medication required and they had a longer duration of treatment. In terms of male fertility, there is enough evidence that illnesses that cause fevers, such as COVID-19, have a short-term impact on male fertility. However the effects of these are only temporary. There’s no evidence at the moment that COVID-19 can impact male fertility permanently.

SHOULD YOU STOP TRYING TO CONCEIVE DUE TO PANDEMIC?