FET OUTCOMES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: There has been significant uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on human reproduction which resulted in a temporary suspension of ART treatments in early stages of the pandemic. The ACE2 receptor used by the virus to infect pulmonary cells is also found in reproductive organs and has fueled speculation as to whether the disease can be sexually transmitted and whether it can cause infertility. Non-viral issues (e.g., pandemic related psychological stress, alternate methods of communication and interaction, and new clinic procedures) may also worsen outcomes. We sought to determine whether clinical outcomes following the frozen embryo transfer (FET) of a euploid embryo were different during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when compared to prior to the pandemic in 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who tested negative for COVID-19 and underwent FET of a single euploid embryo at NYU Fertility Center in NYC over January 2020 through September 2020 were separated by treatment month and compared with patients from the corresponding month in 2019. Patient's age at cycle start and age at freeze were compared using Student's T-Test. Potential cycle outcomes included intrauterine pregnancy (IUG), biochemical pregnancy (Biochem), and no pregnancy, and outcomes were compared between the two years using contingency Chi Square. RESULTS: 1,044 patients were compared over the corresponding months. 558 transfers from 2019 and 486 patients from 2020, with no patients in April of 2020. There were no differences noted in patient's age at cycle start, or age at cryopreservation, between any of the months across the two years. Analysis of outcomes following FET further revealed no statistically significant differences between any of the months over the two years, X2 = 14.64, p > 0.05. Post hoc analyses comparing the combined months of March, April and May, or the combined 9-month periods, were also not statistically significant (X2 = 0.042, p > 0.05;X2 = 1.68, p > 0.05;respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients who tested negative for COVID-19, there were no differences in treatment outcomes following FET's when comparing patients treated during the COVID pandemic with those who were treated prior to the pandemic. IMPACT STATEMENT Providers and patients can be reassured that with proper testing and sanitizing techniques FET outcomes remained unaffected by the pandemic. (Table Presented).