Psychological effect of COVID-19 pandemic among women undergoing infertility care, a French cohort – PsyCovART Psychological effect of COVID-19: PsyCovART

Abstract

Purpose: To assess psychological state of women who experienced postponement of ART care during the first COVID-19 wave in a French public ward of reproductive medicine. Methods: An online anonymous survey was emailed between July and August 2020 to all women whose infertility care, including the first consultation for infertility, have been delayed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, depression, and stress were assessed using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Feelings about COVID-19 outbreak, lockdown and suspension of fertility care were assessed by Multiple-Choice Questions and Visual Analog Scales. Results: 435 women answered to the survey (response rate 34.6%). Mean levels of the HADS-A (anxiety), HADS-D (depression) and PSS10 were respectively 7.58(±3.85), 4.51(±3.48), and 27(±6.75). Prevalence of stress was 50.8% and almost half of women presented clear or suggestive anxiety symptoms (respectively 21.6% and 25.7%). Stress and anxiety rates were much higher than those expected in infertile population. Increased stress was observed in women above 35 years and those stopped ‘in cycle’ or during pre-treatment for in-vitro fertilization or frozen embryo transfer. Patient with history of depression or anxiety had a higher prevalence of perceived stress (p= 0.0006). Postponement was perceived as ‘unbearable’ for women experiencing stress (p=0.0032). After the first wave of pandemic, pregnancy desire remained the same and 84.3% of women wanted to resume fertility care as soon as possible. Conclusion: Stopping fertility care during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant psychological impact on women with an increase of stress, and anxiety. Psychological counseling should always be offered especially during this difficult period.

The Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Female Fertility: A Review of the Literature

“…Nonetheless, this pandemic affected the psychological state of couples, already under the burden of infertility [ 61 ]. The inability to undergo ART treatments when the fertility clinics closed due to the pandemic altered the couples’ optimism (older women were more affected due to poor ovarian reserve).…”

The value of motherhood and psychological distress among infertile women: The mediating role of coping strategies

“…Thus, our findings should be interpreted cautiously, considering this specific factor in future ecological research perspectives. In this regard, the significant psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infertile women who had in-vitro treatment interrupted or postponed should be considered ( 105 , 106 ).…”

Emotions, Stress and Coping among Healthcare Workers in a Reproductive Medicine Unit during the First and Second COVID-19 Lockdowns

“…HCWs have also experienced a lack of guidelines for dealing with the clinical management of patients and uncertainty about the impact of COVID-19 infection on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes [26][27][28]. In addition, all of this happened to the management and the care of an emotionally and psychologically sensitive category of patients [29,30], that of infertile women and men, who, in response to the COVID-19 emergency, showed an increase in levels of stress, anxiety, and depression that were much higher than the one would normally expect in the infertile population [31][32][33][34].…”