Both pregnancy planning and parenting can be stressful for parents and expectant parents in normal times, but taking on either role during a pandemic can be even more taxing.
Many couples seeking to have children during the COVID-19 crisis are concerned about the risks associated with getting pregnant right now, but they are also concerned about waiting too long to conceive.
“It is related to age. It is another great gender inequality, but if the woman waits too long, then her chances decrease. We do not believe that waiting a month or two is a big difference, but this will not end soon.” Julie Lamb, board-certified reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at Pacific Northwest Fertility in Seattle, Washington, and a member of the Medical Advisory Board for Modern Fertility, where she cares for patients struggling to get pregnant. .
Of his patients who had not yet started treatment before the pandemic, Lamb said some “were so anxious that they would rather wait … until the world seems safer.” But, a large part of her patients took her by surprise and chose to continue fertility treatments. “I think we hoped it would be more common to delay treatment,” he said.
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Although the pandemic can be challenging for women who feel pressured by their biological clocks, it has helped those who feel pressured by challenging work environments or other stigma.
“Many patients have said they feel this is a really safe time for them to be pregnant because they are already quarantined at home,” said Lamb. “It makes it easier for them to do this process undetected.” She even has some patients who “are so stressed out from missing work and making appointments and want to come when it is still dark outside.” An advantage of the pandemic is that “they can fly better under the radar and go undetected.”
Experts are learning more about the new coronavirus every day. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is closely monitoring the situation and updating its guidance on any increased risks to pregnant women and their babies.
PHOTO: In this file photo from Thursday, May 7, 2020, a pregnant woman wearing a face mask and gloves holds her belly as she waits in line to buy hundreds of groceries during a food pantry at St. Mary’s Church in Waltham, Massachusetts (Charles Krupa / AP)
A June report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that pregnant women who have COVID-19 may require more specialized care than non-pregnant women, but are not more likely to die. Although they may be at risk of needing more hospital care and experiencing more serious illness caused by the virus, the overall danger remains low for pregnant women.
Researchers have found some cases of COVID-19 that are passed from mother to baby during pregnancy, but this appears to be rare.
More research is needed to understand the effects of the virus before birth. After birth, a newborn can contract the virus if exposed to it.
“I have not seen anything in terms of evidence that COVID-19 is negatively affecting a woman’s ability to conceive,” said Dr. Melanie E. Watkins, mother of two and OB / GYN with Northside Gwinnett Women’s Specialists. in Lawrenceville Georgia
Even if the virus does not have a biological impact on conception, Watkins still believes that “we will possibly see a decrease in pregnancy rates, probably due to increased levels of stress.” In her own practice, Watkins has noted “an increase in the volume of anxiety and depression” among patients, “and along with that come hypoactive sexual desire disorders that involve a decrease in libido,” she said.
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In addition to the biological impact that stress could have on fertility, Watkins said his patients who are trying to conceive are “just nervous and scared.” Some of them are “delaying their plans to start conceiving.” She attributes this concern to the fact that “there are so many things related to pregnancy and COVID that we just don’t know.”
Patients who have trouble conceiving may decide to see an OB / GYN who specializes in more intensive fertility treatments. These specialists put patients on very specific medications and procedure schedules. For patients undergoing these intensive fertility therapies, the pandemic has significantly affected their care.
In March, Dr. Lamb said the American Society for Reproductive Medicine “sent a guideline recommending stopping or stopping all fertility treatments.” This measure was primarily aimed at preserving critical PPE, but it meant that “people had their cycles canceled and had to stop treatment for almost a month and a half,” Lamb said. Overall, this led to many patients being forced to delay their pregnancies.
MORE: Pregnant women are no longer susceptible to COVID-19, based on current data
For women who are already pregnant, the pandemic can create isolation. With less contact and support from family and friends, many moms-to-be feel that their babies are growing up without the love they would have felt before the pandemic.
And with pregnant women who have most of their prenatal visits virtually, they lose the experience of watching their baby grow and hearing their heartbeat through an ultrasound. A pregnant woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told ABC News that pregnancy during the pandemic “has been difficult, but most frustrating was the impact on what should be normal medical care.”
While making the decision to start or develop a family during the pandemic is not easy, Watkins assures his patients that “aside from the unknown that we all experience every day of our lives, I don’t think there is a reason to tell a healthy partner to delay efforts to try to conceive. “
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