Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 impacts embryo morphokinetics but not clinical outcomes in a time-lapse imaging system

The goal for the present study was to investigate whether previous infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may compromise embryo morphokinetics and implantation. For that, a historical cohort study was performed in a private university-affiliated in vitro fertilization center. The study included 1628 embryos from 88 patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Patients were age-matched in a 1:3 ratio to either a coronavirus disease (COVID) group, including patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin test (n = 22 patients, 386 embryos), or a control group, including patients with a negative SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin test (n = 66, 1242 embryos). The effect of previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 on morphokinetic events and ICSI outcomes was evaluated. Embryos derived from patients in the COVID group presented longer time to pronuclei appearance and fading, time to form two, three, four and five cells, and time to blastulation. The durations of the third cell cycle and to time to complete synchronous divisions were also significantly increased in the COVID group compared with the control group, whereas known implantation diagnosis score Day 5 ranked significantly lower in the COVID group. No differences were observed between the COVID and control groups on clinical outcomes. In conclusion, patients planning parenthood, who have recovered from COVID-19 infection, must be aware of a possible effect of the infection on embryo development potential.