Late December 2019, an infectious agent from the coronavirus family was identified and soon became a global concern. It was then called Covid-19 and its outbreak has had consequences for social life all around the globe; the beginning of the Coronaceous Period! Presence of the Covid-19 virus have created numerus issues; some are already obvious and some are to be seen in the future. It also had been the main concern of women who consider going pregnancy these days, and it has been raising distress about having a safe and healthy pregnancy and subsequent parenting. There has been reports of changes in women’s views and lived experiences on pregnancy because of the Covid’s pandemic. That Covid-19 may have reduced the chance of pregnancy in women. But does the virus actually affect fertility rate or is it just a myth?


Pregnancy, painted by Helia Davari



Fertility belongs to the category of problems that is yet to be seen because demographic researchers predict that it will take several months from the emergence of the epidemic to determine its effect on fertility. In times of an epidemic, biological and behavioral mechanisms may lead to disorders of reproductivity. Biological mechanisms are physical conditions that can prevent pregnancy or even kill the baby at birth or mothers.

Pregnant women are more susceptible to developing severe Covid-19 which can lead to different pregnancy related complications. Although there isn’t much information for the association of Covid-19 and its direct complications to the growing fetus during pregnancy, it is likely that the problemes may include preterm birth, stillbirth, or long-term complications for the newborn. According to a study, the odds of pregnant women with a Covid-19 diagnosis being admitted to the intensive-care unit (ICU) were 62% higher than for non-pregnant women of reproductive age, and the odds of needing invasive ventilation were 88% higher. Also, an analysis of 77 cohort studies published last September made clear that pregnant women are a high-risk group regarding the coronavirus. Severe viral infections in mothers have been linked to an increased chance of depression and autism spectrum disorder in their children, and researchers wonder whether SARS-CoV-2 could also have this effect. Yet there is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection in mothers can affect their babies in this way, and any such links could take years to be established, but some researchers are watching out for any delays to neurological development. Other study shows pregnancy does not increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, it appears to worsen the clinical course of Covid-19 compared with non-pregnant reproductive-aged females. In addition to biological mechanisms, Corona can also affects reproductive behavioral mechanisms.

Behavioral mechanisms are the ones based on individuals themselves to put off pregnancy due to anxiety and mental distress caused by fear of getting sick for themselves or their partners or to use alternative methods of pregnancy. Indeed Corona have made a major role in changing women’s attitude toward pregnancy for the risks it could cause to women’s health in times of vulnerability. There has been a research involving semi-structured interviews with 20 mothers who were at least 30 years old; the recorded data was analyzed by a seven-step Klaizi method. The study focused on women's views, lived experiences about pregnancy, and effective factors regarding pregnancy. The results then were categorized into more specific groups to increase the quality of research and combined in the form of a complete description of the phenomenon; the findings were finally approved by experts to indicate the depth of meaning expressed by the participants.


Family and COVID-19, painted by Helia Davari

The interviews showed seven themes as the main problems seen by women. These issues are:

Stress: psychological, physical, emotional, and behavioral human response.

Disease risks: most anxiety about getting Covid-19 due to the unknown and creating ambiguity in people about this virus.

Mental security: one of the most prominent human personality traits and effective ways to encourage people to strive to create personal, family, work, professional and social securities.

Economic conditions: among the negative psychological consequences of closure due to home quarantine

Improving family relationships: the family as a center of growth and development, healing, change, and transformation that can pave the way for prosperity in relationships between its members.

Research and study: pregnant women may have concerns about unpredictable events during pregnancy worrying about the changes they face daily affecting their lives.

Foresight: refers to planning to achieve goals in the future.


Children: Our Future Hope, painted by Helia Davari



Conclusion Having a healthy pregnancy is one of women’s most important mental concerns; the rapid emergence of the Covid-19 virus causes anxiety, depression, and other stress-related reactions. Pregnancy has several mental effects on health of the fetus and infant, so most women try to have some mental preparations and time planning, to change the circumstances and avoid anxiety before taking action. However since change is the typical reason for human anxiety, it could be said that going through pregnancy changes, on its own, could cause anxiety. The study showed that during the Coronaceous period, there are factors in women's attitude that may have received less attention before this period, such as fear of catching the virus which prevents them from going to the hospital for pregnancy examinations. As the end of Corona epidemic is unknown and the current situation affected almost all aspects of human life so far, it is reasonable for women to pay attention to various aspects of fertility and have numerous concerns.


Hope & Family After Coronaceous Period, made by the animation group of Department of Nature, Culture & Art. Please contact us at info@boomzista.org to order a similar animation!

Due to the increasing public awareness about the importance of pregnancy and the fact of the increase in maternal deaths, stillbirth, ruptured ectopic pregnancies, and maternal depression (global maternal and fetal outcomes which were worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic), there is an urgent need to prioritise safe, accessible, and equitable maternity care within the strategic response to this pandemic and in future health crises That’s why most women prefer to have more planned approaches to pregnancy. Thus, addressing the factors related to women's attitudes toward childbearing in a such high-risk period of Corona pandemic can provide an overall understanding and awareness of the factors that have played a role in attitudes toward fertility to psychologists and health care personnel to remove the barriers ahead.

References Afrooz GH, Alavinezhad SS, Valaei M, et al. Analysis of factors Influencing women's perception of fertility during COVID-19 pandemic. 2021. Journal of Applied Psychological Research 12: 59-84.

Chmielewska B, MBBChir, Barratt I, et al. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021. Lancet Glob Health, 9: e759–72

Rad HS, Röhl J, Nataly S, et al. The effects of COVID-19 on the placenta during pregnancy. 2021. Frontiers in Immunology, 12: 743022.

Subbaraman N. Pregnancy and COVID: what the data say. 2021. Nature, 591: 193-195.

Citation Karjalian S, Davari H, SajjadiAnari S, Sheykhrezaee, Z. Coronaceous period and women's attitude to fertility. 2022. BoomZista for Parents, 1.