A global study across 43 countries has identified Scotland as the country with the longest delay in IVF treatment during the pandemic, with a 228 day wait.
The study, titled "What is the impact of the response to COVID-19 on the management of fertility treatments and clinical practice around the world?" and conducted by Monash University in Australia, said the delay is three times higher than the global average of 60 days – and four times higher than the UK average of 50 days.
With the global average of 60 days, patients are likely to have missed at least two cycles of treatment. Lead author Elizabeth Cutting said this could be “vital” to their chances of parenthood and warned that delays such as these could greatly impact the chances of a live birth.
The study was published in Reproductive Medicine and was led by PhD student Elizabeth Cutting in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. It surveyed 43 IVF clinics across countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America, focusing on the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The introduction states: "With the limited knowledge known regarding Covid-19 and its effects on fertility and pregnancy, a cautionary approach was advised for fertility clinics.
"Living with the uncertainty of the virus, most countries cancelled or delayed assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in the initial months of the pandemic (Blumenfeld, 2020)."
Six countries (Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Norway and Portugal) did not experience delays.
READ MORE: Lord Lebedev - call to ban Boris Johnson's crony from Parliament
The study found that – in 34 countries – IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (when a single sperm is injected directly into the egg) and frozen embryo transfers had an average of 59 days and 60 days respectively. One clinic in Scotland registered a delay in these procedures of 228 days.
“Patients usually undergo one cycle of treatment in approximately 3 weeks (21 days). With the delays shown, patients on average missed at least two cycles of treatment. For instance, for those needing fertility preservation prior to chemotherapy, missing two cycles may be vital to their chances of parenthood," said Cutting.
According to Cutting, the early days of the pandemic saw IVF clinics adopt a cautionary approach with their patients.
“In the first months of 2020, the available knowledge regarding the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on fertility of pregnancy was based on very limited data,” she said.
“Because of this limited knowledge, most countries cancelled or delayed assisted reproductive technology treatments, opting for telehealth to at least stay in touch with their patients.”
READ MORE: Marina Ovsyannikova - Russian anti-war protester's Twitter account 'fake'
"The need to stop or delay treatment was guided by the uncertainty of the virus, and the need to reduce the burden of non-essential medical treatments in hospitals to allow resources to be allocated to dealing with people with COVID-19,” she added.
On March 17, 2020, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine announced a “delay (to) any but the most important reproductive care cases”.
Two days later, the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology advocated a "cautionary approach", recommending that all infertility patients considering treatment avoid becoming pregnant, because of the unknown effects of SARS-Cov-2 on pregnancy.
The survey was sent to clinics between October 2020 and September 2021, and found that IVF clinics in nine countries followed their government recommendations (Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Iran, Italy, Nepal, Peru, Saudi Arabia, United States of America), whilst 22 countries, including Scotland, followed a combination of recommendations.
According to Cutting, most clinics preferentially followed the advice of their professional societies, which routinely advised them to take a cautionary approach.
“However, while there was advice regarding virus exposure and transmission, there was a uniform lack of advice regarding the provision of psychological support and how to prioritize patients,” she said.
Cutting is a PhD candidate who is passionate about helping infertility patients, specifically patients with unexplained infertility. She believes fertility is a taboo subject within our society, which leads to miscommunication. Her research aim is to educate younger generations on their bodies, with the hope of prevention over cure.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here