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If you have decided to delay your pregnancy plan because of COVID-19 pandemic, you're not alone. The coronavirus outbreak is apparently making women think twice about expanding their families and many have abandoned or postponed their plans, fearing the risks associated with COVID-19 during pregnancy. According to a new study, COVID-19 has led to a significant decline in birth rates in the United States and Europe.
Particularly, the researchers found strong declines in southern Europe: Italy (-9.1%), Spain (-8.4%) and Portugal (-6.6%). In the US, births declined by 7.1 per cent. But Denmark, Finland, Germany, and The Netherlands reported no decline at all, revealed the study co-authored by Seth Sanders, the Ronald Ehrenberg Professor of Economics in the ILR School.
"The bottom line is that there was a lot of variation across countries in the decline. We don't address why, but we think a lot of it has to do with the degree of economic disruption, coupled with the degree of social support in the absence of employment," said Sanders, as quoted by Science Daily.
In their research, Sanders and his team assessed the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and births in 22 high-income countries. They used monthly live birth data from January 2016 to March 2021. The results were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A lot of women worldwide appear to have delayed or abandoned their plans of becoming a mother because of COVID-19 pandemic. For example, a new survey has revealed that nearly half of New York City mothers who had been trying to become pregnant again have stopped their plans following the coronavirus outbreak.
The survey led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine also found that one-third of women who wanted to become pregnant before the pandemic are no longer considering it now. The results were based on responses given by 1,179 mothers during the first wave of COVID-19 in New York City. The study was published online in the JAMA Network Open.
It appears that the initial COVID-19 outbreak has made women think twice about expanding their families and, in some cases, reduce the number of children they ultimately intend to have, noted study lead author and epidemiologist Linda Kahn, PhD, MPH.
This is another potential long-lasting consequence of the pandemic beyond the more obvious health and economic effects, she said.
As women age, pregnancy becomes riskier and more difficult to achieve. So the delays prompted by the pandemic may lead to increased health risks for both mother and child, as well as the need for costly fertility treatments, she added.
In addition, Kahn's team also found that women with higher stress levels and greater financial insecurity were especially likely to postpone or end their plans for an additional child, suggesting that additional financial support for families may be needed to address the nation's ongoing fertility decline.
Pregnancy is a major risk factor for COVID-19 complications
Several studies have suggested that pregnancy can increase risk of COVID-19 complications for both women and their babies. Pregnant women with COVID-19 are known to have higher risk of death due to COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women. Pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to develop preeclampsia, develop a severe infection, have preterm birth and suffer mental health distress.