The impact of COVID-19 infection on the live birth rate in fresh embryo transfer cycles

Background and aims: fertility procedures in infected patients. This study aims to clarify the specific impacts of COVID-19 infection on the live birth rates (LBR) and fetal outcomes in patients undergoing fresh embryo transfer (fET) cycles. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 1,025 fresh embryo transfer cycles from January 2021 to January 2023. We compared pregnancy and neonatal outcomes between the non-infected group (n=762) and the COVID-19-infected group (n=263). Additionally, we stratified the infected group into subgroups by two criteria: time of infection, with or without fever and partner infection status, and further compared pregnancy outcomes of these subgroups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess differences in pregnancy and neonatal outcomes between non-infected and COVID-19-infected individuals. Results: = 0.002 < 0.025) compared to uninfected controls. Conclusion: COVID-19 infection was associated with a lower LBR in fET cycles, especially when: infection occurred 28-84 days before oocyte retrieval with fever ≥ 38.5°C, or dual-partner were infected. Subsequent multicenter studies enrolling a significantly larger cohort of infected women or couples are essential to validate this finding.