Analysis: Pregnancy attempts dropped steeply during pandemic

From May 2020 to October 2020, pregnancy attempts among women in the U.S. dropped from 6.1% to 4.9%—almost 20%—according to a new analysis from the Apple Women’s Health Study.

Researchers measured pregnancy attempts by analyzing responses from more than 20,000 study participants to the question, “Did you actively try to get pregnant in the previous calendar month?”

After dipping to 4.9%, pregnancy attempt rates remained consistent at around 5% from November 2020 through May 2021.

Between May and October of 2020, COVID-19 deaths surpassed 100,000 in the U.S. and a second wave of cases peaked at about 68,000 cases per day in mid-July. Although cases dipped to about 35,000 per day in mid-September, they rose again, to 50,000 per day at the end of October 2020.

An update about the new analysis on the Apple Women’s Health Study website noted that, historically, there have been fewer births during times of insecurity.

The Apple Women’s Health Study is a collaboration including Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Apple, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The study, which collects data from people across the lifespan and reproductive stages, is aimed at learning more about how demographic and lifestyle factors can impact gynecological and menstrual health.

Read more about the Apple Women’s Health Study analysis: Pregnancy attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic