SPECIAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Ginecologica 2020 June;72(3):171-7

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4784.20.04558-X

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Clinical implications and economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on gynecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine in Germany: learning from Italy

Sebastian FINDEKLEE ^{1, 2} ✉, Emanuela MORINELLO ³

¹ MVZ Fertility Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; ² Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany; ³ Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany

The infection with the novel SARS Cov-2 Coronavirus, the cause of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, possessing its origin in the Chinese province Hubei, has reached the extent of a global pandemic within a few months. After aerosol infection, most people experience mild respiratory infection with cold symptoms such as cough and fever, and healing within two weeks. In about 5% of those infected, however, a severe course develops with the occurrence of multiple subpleural bronchopulmonary infiltrates and even death as a result of respiratory failure. The Coronavirus pandemic has multiple impacts on social life that have not been seen before. For example, the government adopted measures to curb the exponential spread of the virus, which included a significant reduction in social contacts. Furthermore, the specialist societies recommended that no elective treatments be carried out during the pandemic period. This review article considers epidemiological aspects of novel Coronavirus infection and presents both the clinical as well the possible economic effects of the pandemic on gynecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine in Germany in the past, present and future. In addition, useful preventive measures for daily clinical work and the previously known scientific findings dealing with the impact of Coronavirus on pregnancy and birth are discussed.

KEY WORDS: Coronavirus; Pandemics; Gynecology; Obstetrics; Reproductive medicine