Hyderabad: Many couples putting baby plans on hold due to Covid-19

HYDERABAD: The uncertainty of whether a pregnant woman can take the Covid-19 vaccine is driving many couples to put their pregnancy plans on hold. Among couples who are on fertility treatment and those over 30 years of age, further delay may not be advisable and many might have already lost the window period, say experts.
While gynaecologists and fertility experts are pushing patients who plan to conceive not to delay their plans any further, there continues to be apprehension among patients to proceed during the pandemic.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a 35-year-old fertility patient said, “We had begun our fertility treatment in the latter half of last year but due to the pandemic, it was put on hold. Initially, we thought it would take 3 to 4 months, now we are waiting for the vaccine and will plan the pregnancy then since I am diabetic.”
There is yet another roadblock that doctors are facing in advising patients.
“Since November, couples have started returning for treatment, but a lot of them still want to wait for the vaccine. Many are asking us whether it can be taken when they are pregnant. But since nothing is known about how the vaccine will react and whether it is safe to be taken during pregnancy, we cannot say. This has again resulted in delay,” said Dr Preethi Reddy, IVF and fertility specialist at Birthright by Rainbow Hospitals.
Explaining the impact of the delay, Dr Saroja Koppala, fertility consultant, Nova IVF Fertility Hyderabad said, “We have seen a drastic drop in the ovarian reserve of some of the patients from March to December, especially in the 37-38 years age group. In some people who already had a low ovarian reserve, the drop is so dramatic that they will now have to go for a donor egg. Whoever is in the stage of having a less ovarian reserve, it is important to get their levels checked and begin treatment or in patients undergoing cancer treatment, it is important to freeze the oozytes.”
Dr Durga G Rao, medical director and co-founder, Oasis Fertility, also advises against any further delay. “Most couples opting for IVF treatment are those who have exhausted all other options of conceiving. In the process, they would have frittered away valuable years, some even crossing their prime reproductive years. Any further delay in seeking IVF care may permanently close the window of opportunity for many, as they would get biologically older to bear healthy offspring,” he said.