At the beginning of the lockdown, many speculated on social media about a Covid-19 baby boom, with some even suggesting names for the new generation, including “coronials” and “quaranteens”.
However, fertility experts around the country have predicted the exact opposite as the pandemic has left many people financially unstable and some relationships on the rocks, forcing many women to put their baby plans on ice.
Not only has the pandemic put a damper on population growth, but the protracted closure of borders in many countries also put some of the country’s world-class fertility specialists out of business as overseas clientele shrinks.
Dr Klaus Wiswedel, who runs the Holistic Assisted Reproductive Treatment (HART) fertility clinic in Cape Town, is one of the specialists who have seen a dip of between 30% and 50% in clients seeking fertility treatments.
“Since we reopened about two months ago, we haven’t really bounced back. We used to get a lot of Australians who sought treatment at our clinic, but with many countries still locked down we are not seeing many overseas clients. The locals who come are those who have money to spare.”
“Because of the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, people are anxious about the future and that affects their spending patterns. Even those who have money to spend are holding on to it and would rather wait a few months. It’s only those who have enough money to spare who are seeking treatment, and it’s almost 100% locals,” he said.
Dr Abri De Bruin, a reproductive medicine specialist from Genesis Reproductive Centre at Kloof Mediclinic in Pretoria, said cost had been the main factor why many patients were not seeking fertility treatment. However, he said with the easing of the lockdown the number of women coming to his centre has started going up.
“There had been a decrease in the number of patients seeking fertility treatment and our opinion was that it was due to the borders being closed. We see many patients from outside SA. Patients were also hesitant to come to the hospital due to Covid-19,” he said.
During the hard lockdown, fertility clinics were advised not offer treatments except to oncology patients who required preservation treatment.
“Financial implications led to fewer patients being seen and treated. The numbers have picked up to normal levels after the easing of lockdown,” said De Bruin.
Financial constraints even affected the choices women made about birth control. De Bruin said at his clinic, fewer women are choosing longer-acting intrauterine devices and implants due to the high costs involved.
“We have inserted fewer long-term contraception devices in the past eight months than we have done previously.”
He said older patients did not have this luxury and needed to make difficult decisions because waiting a few more years might impact on their chances of falling pregnant.
De Bruin’s colleague, Dr Tebogo Deo, said the fear of contracting Covid-19 at health-care centres and failure to collect contraceptives has resulted in a rise in unintended pregnancies.
He said one would expect women to be vigilant about taking long-term contraception given the uncertainties brought about by Covid-19, “but this has not been the case”.
“The uptake of contraception, both short-term and long-term, declined drastically because clients regarded this as non-essential, despite medical facilities being open for service during that time.”
Cape Town gynaecologist Dr Peter de Jong said he had seen more women seeking long-term contraceptives, “and while it’s too early to tell, there’s definitely no signs there is going to be a baby boom”.
“Due to the financial strain Covid-19 has put on many people, they are thinking twice about falling pregnant.
“In addition, the strain the lockdown has put on relationships has seen more women postponing their pregnancies. Women don’t want to bring babies into the world when there are worries about finances and the relationship is not working.”
Dr Jackson Ndhlovu, a gynaecologist and fertility specialist who practises at Netcare Pholoso Hospital in Polokwane, Limpopo, said he hadn’t observed a drop in pregnancies in Limpopo, which traditionally has large families.
“Larger families are popular within the Limpopo region and have remained so this year, with many couples consulting us and saying they want a fifth or sixth child.
“We have not noted women are postponing their pregnancies, but it is possible some have. The Covid-19 pandemic forced many couples to spend more time together and no doubt placed additional strain on many relationships, and may have resulted in them putting off having more children. We hear that the number of gender violence cases increased, which is an indication that many families were under considerable strain. We have however not seen evidence of women postponing their pregnancies at our practice,” said Ndhlovu.
Some couples have chosen to delay a second or third child until a more stable economic and health climate.
— Dr Kasturi Moodley
Dr Kasturi Moodley, a gynaecologist and obstetrician with a special interest in fertility at Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg, said she has observed quite few new pregnancies between July and November, mainly in parents who had been trying for a baby for a while and conceived during the pandemic
“My thoughts, not scientific evidence, on possible reasons for this is that patients stopped stressing about having a baby. Patients who had previously failed fertility treatments had spontaneous conceptions during Covid-19. Patients who planned fertility treatments were happy to proceed with our guidance and support ensuring safety at all times. These patients did not want to delay their procedures for any reason.”
However, couples who were not first time parents were willing to delay their pregnancies.
“Some couples, particularly those who already have one or more children, have chosen to delay a second or third child until a more stable economic and health climate.,” said Moodley.
