Impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on reproductive health

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a communicable respiratory disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus that causes illness in humans. The disease is caused by a pathogen called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 and can be transmitted from person to person through infected air droplets that are projected during sneezing or coughing. The coronavirus disease has generally affected all sectors of the society, including the health sector and reproductive health in particular. Reproductive health contributes greatly to physical and psychosocial comfort and closeness between individuals. Adequate and balanced reproductive health can be impaired and deprived by diseases, abuse, exploitation, unwanted pregnancy, and death. This review paper looked into possible effects of COVID-19 pandemic on reproductive health. Human and nonhuman primate literatures were examined to extract empirical data detailing the impact of COVID-19 on reproductive health. Literatures were sourced from Ovid MEDLINE, SCOPUS, the Cochrane Library, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, PROQUEST, PUBMED, and Web of Science. Experimental and clinical evidence were used to examine whether COVID-19 adversely impacted on the reproductive health of infected and non-infected population. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has led to measures driven by the pandemic, to prevent further spread and effectual treatment of those affected. This has literally caused decrease in sexual and reproductive health care services due to global lockdowns and closures of health sectors deemed to be non-essential in combating the disease.