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Review of the impact of COVID-19 on male reproduction, and its implications on assisted reproductive technology services

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2022

Romualdo Sciorio Open the ORCID record for Romualdo Sciorio [Opens in a new window] ,
Luca Tramontano ,
Serena Bellaminutti ,
Raffaele Aiello ,
Adriana Fortunato ,
Roberto Marci  and
Ronny Janssens
Romualdo Sciorio*
Affiliation:
Edinburgh Assisted Conception Programme, EFREC, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Luca Tramontano
Affiliation:
Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Serena Bellaminutti
Affiliation:
Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Raffaele Aiello
Affiliation:
OMNIA Lab S.C.a.R.L, Naples, Italy
Adriana Fortunato
Affiliation:
Centro fecondazione assistita, Villa Bianca, Naples, Italy
Roberto Marci
Affiliation:
Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
Ronny Janssens
Affiliation:
BE-ART IVF, Bornem, Belgium
*
Author for correspondence: Romualdo Sciorio. Edinburgh Assisted Conception Programme, EFREC, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH16 4SA, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

The announcement in 2019 of a new coronavirus disease that quickly became a major pandemic, is an exceptional challenge to healthcare systems never seen before. Such a public health emergency can largely influence various aspects of people’s health as well as reproductive outcome. IVF specialists should be vigilant, monitoring the situation whilst contributing by sharing novel evidence to counsel patients, both pregnant women and would-be mothers. Coronavirus infection might adversely affect pregnant women and their offspring. Consequently, this review paper aims to analyse its potential risks for reproductive health, as well as potential effects of the virus on gamete function and embryo development. In addition, reopening fertility clinics poses several concerns that need immediate addressing, such as the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on reproductive cells and also the potential risk of cross-contamination and viral transmission. Therefore, this manuscript summarizes what is currently known about the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 infection on medically assisted reproductive treatments and its effect on reproductive health and pregnancy.

Keywords

Coronavirus COVID-19Cross-contaminationFertility preservationInfectious diseaseReproductive health
Type
Review Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2022 , pp. 743 - 748
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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