Mild COVID-19 infection does not alter the ovarian reserve in women treated with ART

Kolanska, Kamila; Hours, Alice; Jonquière, Laurie; Mathieu d'Argent, Emmanuelle; Dabi, Yohann; Dupont, Charlotte; Touboul, Cyril; Antoine, Jean-Marie; Chabbert-Buffet, Nathalie; Daraï, Emile

Research Question Does mild COVID-19 infection impact the ovarian reserve of women undergoing an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) protocol? Design We conducted a prospective observational study between June and December 2020. We included women managed in our ART unit for fertility issues by in vitro fecundation / intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI), fertility preservation (FP), frozen embryo transfer (ET) or artificial insemination (AI) and with an AMH test performed within 12 months preceding ART treatment. All the women underwent a COVID rapid detection test (RDT) and we compared AMH levels between those who tested positive (RDT+) and those who tested negative (RDT-). Results The study population consisted of 118 women, 11.7% (14/118) of whom were COVID RDT+. None of the tested women presented with a history of severe COVID-19 infection. The difference between the initial AMH level and AMH level tested during ART treatment was comparable between the COVID RDT+ group and COVID RDT- group [-1.33 (-0.35 – -1.61) versus -0.59 (-0.15 – -1.11), p=0.22]. Conclusion Our study suggests that a history of mild COVID-19 infection does not seem to alter the ovarian reserve as evaluated by AMH levels. While these results are reassuring, further studies are necessary to assess the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing ART.