People took social distancing so seriously, birth rates plummeted by 14% nine months after the pandemic started.
The drop in live births only occurred after 9-10 months and was not seen in the weeks or months immediately after the onset of the pandemic, so researchers concluded that it was associated with the lockdowns imposed in many European countries, rather than with direct exposure and potential problems related to infectionBy March 2021 the live birth rate in 13 countries was similar to the pre-pandemic monthly rate, corresponding to a post-lockdown rebound.
The researchers noted that previous pandemics, such as 'Spanish flu' in 1918, as well as Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks, were also associated with a decline in birth rates 9 months after their peaks. However this could be attributed at least partly to higher death rates among parents for Spanish flu and Ebola, and high foetal death rates as a result of direct exposure to Zika. Couples may also have decided to postpone pregnancy in a time of crisis, they said.
In addition the researchers found a possible association with intensive care unit occupancy rates. Seven countries in their dataset had ICUs that were over-occupied , they said, and six of these saw substantial drops in birth rates. The seventh country, Denmark, did not. Only 2 of 9 countries in which there was only a slight or moderate impact on ICUs experienced a decline in births 9 months later, they said.
"The calamities and insecurities caused by COVID-19 seem to have refrained many couples from embarking on pregnancy," he wrote. "These observations are important because they show that human reproductive behaviour, as evidenced by numbers of live births, changes during dramatic events, epidemics and global crises," he said, as evidenced by the last 120 years.