Mild or Moderate COVID-19 during Pregnancy Does Not Affect the Content of CD34+ Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Umbilical Cord Blood of Newborns.

The study included umbilical cord blood samples (n=64) intended for cryogenic storage of hematopoietic stem cells and obtained from patients with a history of mild and moderate forms of COVID-19 during pregnancy. The control group was composed of samples (n=746) obtained from healthy women in labor. A comparative analysis of the volume of cord blood collected, the total leukocyte count, the relative and absolute content of cells with the CD34+/CD45+ phenotype revealed no significant differences between the groups.

Effects of sars-cov-2 on human reproduction

The available information on the clinical features of COVID-19, the effects of the infection on various organs and systems, and the prevention and treatment is very limited and contradictory. There is especially little evidence for the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the human reproductive system. The authors carried out a systematic analysis of the data available in modern literature about the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 on the female and male reproductive system and fertility. The literature review includes data from the publications available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ on this topic. The paper provides data on the etiology and pathogenesis of COVID-19, the ways of penetration into the human body, the possible mechanisms of damage to the gonads in males and females, and the available evidence of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on human reproduction. Currently, there are no data proving the presence of infection of ovarian or endometrial tissues in women, which would affect oogenesis, embryo implantation, early embryogenesis, and the occurrence of pregnancy in natural cycles or in ART programs. It can be assumed that there may be the following disorders of the female reproductive system: ovarian tissue damage caused by SARS-CoV-2, which may contribute to ovulatory dysfunction;oocyte damage, which can facilitate the production of aneuploid oocytes;and endometrial cell damages, which can lead to impaired embryo implantation. The data on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on spermatogenesis and testicular tissue damage are scanty and contradictory. Conclusion. Further investigations are needed to study the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on human reproductive function. © A group of authors, 2020.