Desire for parenthood at the time of COVID-19 pandemic: an insight into the Italian situation

Micelli, Elisabetta; Cito, Gianmartin; Cocci, Andrea; Polloni, G.; Russo, Giorgio Ivan; Minervini, Andrea; Carini, Marco; Natali, Alessandro; Coccia, Maria Elisabetta

doi:10.1080/0167482x.2020.1759545

Cited by 117 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Furthermore, they noted that the pandemic had an influence on the decreased desire for pregnancy, decreased female contraception and increased menstrual disorders. Micelli et al concluded that the majority (66,4%) of Italian people who did not experience desire for parenting before and also during the COVID−19 pandemic, reported no reduction in frequency of sexual intercourse, with no significant differences among genders [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of COVID−19 on Female Sexual Health

Fuchs

Matonóg

Pilarska

et al. 2020

IJERPH

107

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Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID−19), announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, recently has dominated people’s lifestyle. The impact of COVID−19 seems to be relevant to the sexual health as well. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on two occasions involving 764 female patients between March and April 2020—before and during the time of social quarantine. The sexual function was assessed using the Polish version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Every patient filled out the survey concerning socio-demographic characteristics as well as the influence of SARS-CoV−2 pandemic on their lives. Results: The overall FSFI score before the pandemic was 30.1 ± 4.4 and changed to 25.8 ± 9.7 during it. Scores of every domain: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain decreased as well (p < 0.001). There was statistically significant association between the workplace and the change of FSFI scores before and during COVID−19 pandemic (p < 0.01). We noticed the biggest decrease in FSFI score in the group of women who did not work at all (5.2 ± 9.9). Religion had a statistically important impact on level of anxiety (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The main finding of our study was the influence of COVID−19 pandemic on the quality of sexual lifestyle and frequency of intercourse among Polish women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the changes in cardiorespiratory and immune systems occurring during the pregnancy might increase the susceptibility to serious infections. Interestingly, the study has also revealed that about 12% of people (mostly women) started to desire parenthood at the time of the quarantine [ 13 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID−19 on Female Sexual Health

Fuchs

Matonóg

Pilarska

et al. 2020

IJERPH

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The experts in the (blinded for review) project have been observing growing fears that impacted on the preconception processes and reproductive decisions of women (19). OB-GYNs, following the Ministry of Health recommendations, stopped provisioning fertility treatments and urged postponement of pregnancy plans during the pandemic.…”

Section: Getting Pregnant During a Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: qualitative evidence from experts interviews.

Pustułka

Buler

2020

Preprint

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Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly altered the provisions and shape of medical services for expecting mothers worldwide. In Poland, the country where pregnancy and childbirth are subject to comparably greater medicalization, those shifts are particularly tangible. This study aimed at capturing how maternal health professionals tackle care over pregnant and birthing women during a pandemic, highlighting possible long-term implications for the expecting and new mothers, as well as the reproductive health sector.Methods: This is a qualitative and rapid-response study which addresses the themes around the emerging implications of the viral outbreak. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted with 46 individuals, all highly-skilled, working in either medical or adjacent sectors connected with reproductive medicine, as well as varied antenatal and postpartum care services. In this analysis, 7 digital experts were excluded as observers rather than field practitioners. Among 38 interviews, 5 have been conducted with OB-GYNs, 13 with midwives, 6 with doulas, 14 broadly-conceived category of maternal support experts including psychologists and physiotherapists. The recorded data were input into thematic grids and meticulously transcribed prior to being subject to an inductive, thematic analysis.Results: The findings revealed that the context of the heightened medicalization of pregnancy and hospital care during birth in Poland, resulted in strong restrictions and immediate fall back to a clinical care model. The majority also claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the implications of the decades of Polish maternal health recommendations contradicting the WHO regulations. Professionals’ anxieties concern limited access to services assisting women during pregnancies. While those linked to hospitals pointed out physiological risks, other maternal support experts drew attention to the effects of stress and uncertainty on maternal mental health. Conclusions: Experts face various challenges when providing care to pregnant and birthing women in Poland. They underscore both the information chaos surrounding recommendations and procedures, and see the pandemic as a moment of reflection, mostly being vocal in their critiques of the over-medicalized Polish care model. The interviewed maternal health experts believe that the pandemic will have multifaceted consequences that are being exacerbated by both a sudden cessation of extensive degree of medicalization during pregnancy, and a fallback to alienation during intervention-focused hospital deliveries.

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“…In this perspective, emerging studies of pregnant women treated for COVID-19-related diseases offer mixed results and translate to those considering or experiencing pregnancy being ill-informed (15). One study found that pregnancy did not aggravate pneumonia caused by the virus and recovered expectant women delivered children scoring high on the Apgar scale (16).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the prevalence of clinical recommendations, people alter their reproductive plans. In an Italian case study, Micelli and co-authors (15) showcase that 37.3% of those who planned to have a child before the pandemic have changed their mind. Their decision was related equally strongly to economic worries and possible health consequences of COVID-19 on the pregnancy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy and Childbirth During the Covid-19 Epidemic in Poland: Qualitative Evidence From Expert Interviews.

Pustułka

Buler

2020

Preprint

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BackgroundThe Covid-19 outbreak has significantly altered the provisions and shape of medical services for expecting mothers worldwide. In Poland, the country where pregnancy and childbirth are subject to comparably greater medicalization, those shifts are particularly tangible. This study aimed at capturing the responses of the maternal health professionals, highlighting possible long-term implications for the expecting and new mothers, as well as the reproductive health sector. MethodsThis is a qualitative and rapid-response study which addresses the themes around the emerging implications of the viral outbreak. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted with 46 individuals, all highly-skilled, working in either medical or adjacent sectors connected with reproductive medicine, as well as varied antenatal and postpartum care services. In this analysis, 7 digital experts were excluded as observers rather than field practitioners Among 39 interviews, 5 have been conducted with OB-GYNs, 13 with midwives, 7 with doulas, 14 broadly-conceived category of maternal support experts including psychologists and physiotherapists. The recorded data were input into thematic grids and meticulously transcribed prior to being subject to an inductive, thematic analysis. ResultsThe findings revealed that the context of the heightened medicalization of pregnancy and hospital care during birth in Poland, resulted in strong restrictions and immediate fall back to a clinical care model. The majority also claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the implications of the decades of Polish maternal health recommendations contradicting the WHO regulations. Professionals’ anxieties concern limited access to services assisting women during pregnancies. While those linked to hospitals pointed out physiological risks, other maternal support experts drew attention to the effects of stress and uncertainty on maternal mental health. ConclusionsExperts believe that the pandemic will have multifaceted consequences. Negative impact on well-being of expecting and birthing mothers, as well as new-borns, is already observed and highly anticipated to increase further. The professionals underscore both the information chaos surrounding recommendations and procedures, and see the pandemic as a moment of reflection, mostly being vocal in their critiques of the over-medicalized Polish care model.

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Desire for parenthood at the time of COVID-19 pandemic: an insight into the Italian situation

Cited by 117 publications

References 19 publications

The Impact of COVID−19 on Female Sexual Health

The Impact of COVID−19 on Female Sexual Health

Pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: qualitative evidence from experts interviews.

Pregnancy and Childbirth During the Covid-19 Epidemic in Poland: Qualitative Evidence From Expert Interviews.

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