THE IMPACT OF SARS-COV-2 ON THE MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM: A SUBJECT FIELD REVIEW

In December 2019, a new contagious pneumonia COVID-19 broke out in China, which spread rapidly and alarmingly around the world. SARS-CoV-2 infection remains a huge problem for modern healthcare systems. In addition to the widespread acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the virus affects many other systems, causing a huge number of symptoms, such as gastrointestinal, neurological, dermatological, cardiovascular and many others. In the present time it has also hypothesized that the virus can infect the female and male reproductive systems. SARS-CoV-2 infection may also play a role in potential human fertility disorders. In response to the rapidly growing number of publications, this systematic review was aimed at summarizing the available literature on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the reproductive health of men and women. This article investigated the impact of SARS-CoV-19 on male and female fertility, the possibility of transmission of the virus from mother to fetus, the effect of vaccination on pregnancy, and the termination of infertility treatment during a pandemic in the United States, Great Britain and other European countries. The searches were conducted in the Scopus electronic database from March 2020 to January 2022. In total, 93 articles were selected, 30 articles were selected based on predetermined selection criteria and included in the review. Despite the available studies that indicate a possible role of viral infection in the reproductive organs, very little is known about the long-term consequences of infection. Therefore, it is very important to conduct in-depth studies explaining the main mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact on human reproductive organs and fertility. The results of this review can be used by the professionals dealing with the problem.