Effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on human embryonic development and clinical outcomes: a retrospective cohort study

To investigate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on embryonic development and clinical outcomes.

This retrospective analysis included 538 couples in December 2022. The couples were divided into two groups (COVID-19 group, n = 157; and non-COVID-19 [control] group, n = 381) according to whether one member of the couple had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 before oocyte retrieval. The general information, fertility rate, embryonic development and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups.

There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The rates of fertility, good-quality embryos and blastocyst formation were similar between the two groups. The separate effects of male or female infection on embryonic development were further analyzed. The in vitro fertilization (IVF) fertilization rate was significant lower in the male COVID-19 group than in the control group (OR = 0.630, 95% CI = 0.510-0.776). In addition, the clinical pregnancy and live birth rate was significantly reduced in female patients who infected by SARS-CoV-2 compared to control group (OR = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.057-0.179).

This study shows that infection before oocyte retrieval does not have a clear negative effect on embryo outcomes, such as the rates of normal fertilization, good-quality embryos and blastocyst formation. However, infection before oocyte retrieval has negative effects on clinical outcomes in female patients.