Expected Covid Baby Boom is a Bust

There was a steady stream of projections of a baby boom once lockdown orders spread from state to state in March and couples kept home together were left to their own devices to pass the time.

It doesn’t look like that’s happening.

“Our data currently suggests an actual decrease in the number of positive pregnancy tests,” says Dr. Rachel Robinson, Medical Director for OB-GYN at Legacy Community Health, which has 14 clinics from Houston to Baytown to Beaumont.

Dr. Robinson says a reduction in the number of positive tests may, in part, be a reflection of some people’s hesitancy to visit medical clinics in fear of contracting the Covid virus, but says they aren’t seeing an increase in the number of pregnant women either. “I don’t think we’re going to see this boom, like we had predicted. In fact, despite the number and decrease of the number of positive pregnancy tests, the pregnancy rate is staying about the same.”

Anecdotally, Dr. Robinson said she has seen a consistent number of women renewing birth control prescriptions during the pandemic using telemedicine appointments. She suspects the stress of life during a global pandemic combined with added responsibilities of keeping children safe and managing virtual school requirements has been capping most couple’s desires to expand their family in 2020.

photo: Getty Images


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