Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35997867›Full record

ArticleJournal of assisted reproduction and genetics2022

The actual impact of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic on IVF activity: a survey across Italian ART centers.

Giulia Scaravelli, Paolo Emanuele Levi Setti, Gianluca Gennarelli, Luca Mencaglia, Filippo Maria Ubaldi, Roberto De Luca, Danilo Cimadomo, Roberta Spoletini, Vincenzo Vigiliano, Pier Paolo Sileri

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Giulia ScaravelliART Italian National Register, National Centre for Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion, National Health Institute, via Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Paolo Emanuele Levi SettiDepartment of Gynecology, Division of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Fertility Center, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Gianluca GennarelliObstetrics and Gynecology 1U, Physiopathology of Reproduction and IVF Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Torino, Turin, Italy.
Luca MencagliaPhysiopathology of Reproduction, Santa Margherita Hospital, Cortona, Italy.
Filippo Maria UbaldiClinica Valle Giulia, GeneraLife IVF, Rome, Italy.
Roberto De LucaART Italian National Register, National Centre for Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion, National Health Institute, via Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy. roberto.deluca@iss.it.
Danilo CimadomoClinica Valle Giulia, GeneraLife IVF, Rome, Italy.
Roberta SpoletiniART Italian National Register, National Centre for Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion, National Health Institute, via Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Vincenzo VigilianoART Italian National Register, National Centre for Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion, National Health Institute, via Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Pier Paolo SileriUndersecretary for Health, Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy.
National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control · ITClinica Valle Giulia · ITHumanitas University · ITOspedale Regina Margherita · ITOspedale Sant'Anna · ITVita-Salute San Raffaele University · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSince the end of February 2020, SARS-CoV-2 dramatically spread in Italy. To ensure that most of National Health System (NHS) resources were employed to control the pandemic, non-urgent medical procedures (including IVF) were suspended in March 2020. Here, we aimed at assessing the impact of the restrictive measures on Italian IVF activity.

methodsIn May 2020, the Italian ART Register launched an online survey (multiple choices and open answers) across ART centers (89.0% response rate; N = 170/191) to investigate how they were facing the emergency and estimate the reduction in their activity. In February 2022, the official data of the whole 2020 were published and retrospectively analyzed. The ART cycles conducted in Italy in 2020 (67,928 by 57,423 patients) were then compared to those conducted in 2019 (82,476 by 67,633 patients). The estimates formulated through the survey were compared to the actual reduction.

resultsIn 2020, 14,548 less IVF cycles were conducted with respect to 2019 (- 17.6% reduction). This led to 2539 fewer live births (- 19.8%) than 2019. If the reduction unveiled by the survey launched in May 2020 (i.e., - 35%) would have persisted throughout 2020, a significantly larger impact was expected (4200 less newborns). Instead, the activity was gradually recovered, and it compensated the months of greatest emergency, thus fulfilling the most optimistic scenario.

conclusionsItaly suffers from the lowest birth rate in Europe, and COVID-19 impact on IVF-derived live births testified how key ART is for Italian demographics. The government should support access to these treatments with dedicated actions.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2FemaleFertilization in VitroHumansInfant, NewbornItalyPandemicsRetrospective StudiesART National RegisterAssisted reproductive techniquesCOVID-19Gamete donationSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID35997867
PMCPMC9395871
OpenAlexW4292714799

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.