COVID-19 Pandemic and Infertility: Gynecological Dilemma from an Indian Perspective

Abstract

As the emaciated healthcare system is attempting to break the tide of the novel coronavirus pandemic across the globe, the highest cost of this fight is being borne by the third world countries. India is currently experiencing the peak incidence of COVID-19 cases. For the last 9 months, non-emergency services including OPDs have been suspended in majority of the hospitals to divert resources for combatting emergency medical care during this deadly pandemic. This temporary pause and containment could be detrimental to even patients suffering from malignancy. During this critical hour, commencement of infertility treatments including assisted reproductive technologies (ART) will add to additional burden upon the crippled medical fraternity. Fate of thousands of patients seems to hang by a fine thread now. In the resource-poor countries, it is our duty to divert maximum medical power to curtail this contagious pandemic rather than focusing on non-urgent treatment services.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward exercises among women visiting an infertility clinic: A cross-sectional study

“…With the growing rate of infertility across the globe, there arises a necessity to address the condition in a more integrated manner. Especially in the current pandemic situation, with all the medical attention diverted for emergency care and infertility continuing as a major stressor, exercising could facilitate conception and improve physical and mental health (Sarkar et al, 2021;Vaughan et al, 2020). The limitation of our study is that we recruited the participants from an infertility center in a tertiary care hospital setting.…”

The Multi-faceted Effects of COVID-19 on Female Reproductive Health: An Updated Narrative Review

“…The future of many patients now appears to hang in the balance. It is our responsibility to focus on containing this spreading pandemic in resource-poor nations rather than on providing non-urgent treatments [121].…”

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on post graduate gynecological training and surgical skills: Indian perspective

“…Owing to the highly contagious nature of the virus, it has become difficult to continue routine classes and lectures, thereby affecting medical education, which is predominantly based on patient-oriented bedside classes [8]. Routine gynecology OPDs and infertility clinics have already been suspended long back [9]. Elective surgeries have suffered a devastating setback amidst the rapid outburst of COVID-19 cases [9].…”

“…Routine gynecology out patient departments and infertility clinics have already been suspended long back [ 5 ]. Elective surgeries have suffered a devastating setback amidst the rapid outburst of COVID-19 cases [ 5 ]. Suspension of clinical rotatory postings, elimination of bedside classes, changes in medical examinations, and alterations in grading systems have further crippled the medical curriculum [ 6 ].…”

“…Suspension of clinical rotatory postings, elimination of bedside classes, changes in medical examinations, and alterations in grading systems have further crippled the medical curriculum [ 6 ]. With the surge of the infectious COVID-19, infertility practice has suffered setbacks, and scholars pursuing fellowship courses in infertility are getting their degrees without getting much experience to perform ovum-pickups, embryo transfers, or other advanced assisted reproductive techniques [ 5 ]. Similar is the situation with fellowship courses in urogynecology and laparoscopy courses.…”