Is anyone trying to conceive despite coronavirus?

[jmli1234]

Am I completely crazy still trying to conceive during this time? I live in New York

I am. we were due to get married end of june and the plan always was to start ttc just before the wedding. But obviously the wedding is now on the back burner until next year but I dont want to wait, my daughter will be 2 in july and i dont want a big age gap. Also my partner is 40 this year and has older children (eldest 2 about to turn 17 and 18) so I'm sure he doesnt want to wait to have another which will be the last one. Both our jobs are classed as key workers in the uk so neither of us has taken a hit financial due to coronavirus so I'm not expecting much to change for us financially.

Just bear in mind the level of care you receive may be different. Your partner may not be able to attend scans, appointments. Birth options will change. Unfortunately this won’t be fully over for a long time.
On the flip side it can take a long time to conceive. Life can’t just be out on hold.
But just bear in mind it might not be the experience you hope for.
I’m pregnant and find it sad that my family most likely won’t see a growing bump, I can’t announce it to anyone face to face, and they might not even meet the baby for a long time once he/she is born.
I’m very grateful to be pregnant, but every hospital appointment feels like a huge risk x

Unfortunately this won’t be fully over for a long time

In your opinion.

None of us have any idea how long this will last or what the restrictions will look like in 3, 6 or even 12 months time.

OP, if you want to TTC then I wouldn't delay it for coronavirus. While I do think this will have an impact on life (including pregnancy/birth) for months to come, I, personally, think the restrictions will be gone (or at least not as strict as they are now) in 9+ months time. Good luck.

No, I'm taking a break from TTC for now because it seems selfish and irresponsible to be trying to put myself into a higher risk category and in a position where I'd be having to attend lots of appointments in a hospital.

Another thing to consider is no-one knows what impact this virus may have on the foetus especially in the early stages. I don’t think I would want to take that risk until more is known.

Argh. Also trying to make this decision.

I am 36, so time not on my side. I'm waiting probably 4 or 5 months, to see what happens.

I’m nearly 40 but we have decided to wait a few months until more is known about the effects of it on the fetus during early pregnancy. Hopefully it doesn’t cause any problems but it’s just to soon to be sure so why take the risk?

We’ve decided to wait for a few months. By then we should be over the peak and things should be calming down and the pressure on the NHS lessening (hopefully). I am also worried about the potential effect on the unborn baby - at the moment they just don’t know.

I am 33 so can afford to wait a little while.

In a similar position to @Charlottejade89. Supposed to get married June 2020 and would have been looking to tcc after August as I was due to start a new job and wanted to wait until after probation. Now wedding is June 2021. I’m not sure when I’m starting new job and it’s all a mess. I won’t be tcc soon, as I have a bit of underlying anxiety about covid19 but maybe have to wait until after the wedding now. I’m 32, 33 in a few months and dp a year older. No kids yet.

We have gone from actively trying to not trying, but not preventing (if that makes sense). It's difficult as I had a miscarriage last year and haven't managed to fall pregnant again but it's just a difficult time right now. However it makes me a bit sad to delay but I'm late 20s so hopefully I have plenty of time still

I was chatting to the sonographer about this last week. She made the valid point that we don't yet know what impact the virus has on the foetus when caught in early pregnancy as it hasn't been around long enough to find out. I think I'd want to wait a few months until the position is clearer

I'm 36 and ttc for 19 months. I had doubts abouts bringing a child into this world before all this kicked off due to all the issues we face with the climate and the way a great deal of the human race behave etc. However I've always wanted my own family so hubby and I are continuing ttc. Like Lots of people have said we don't know how long this will go on for and at what point do you decide its a good idea to start trying again? If I was younger then I would probably delay but I don't have the luxury of time. I wish anyone in the same boat all the luck in the world 🗺

I conceived just before lockdown and tbh it’s not ideal, but I don’t think you should necessarily stop trying. If you have time on your side and no other pressures then it might be worthwhile holding off for a while until you have more of an idea of how things will be, but if you’re a bit older or have already been trying for a while then I would be inclined to continue. Life can’t be put on hold forever.

I conceived in early January right before coronavirus hit the news. It's not ideal timing tbh, and I have lots of concerns about the quality of NHS care at the moment. There are loads of other sad things, like the fact that my husband can't attend my scans and appointments, and I can't enjoy the pregnancy with friends and family, go shopping for baby stuff etc. Plus obviously the underlying fear that I could catch coronavirus and it could harm me or my baby. I'm in my late 20s, and if I weren't already pregnant I wouldn't be trying to conceive at the moment. However if I were in my mid-late 30s or 40s and still hadn't started my family I don't think I would be wasting any time.

Conceived early feb before lockdown and I wouldnt say I would have picked right now for it to happen especially as my first and only. That being said, I didnt get a choice because life is just a funny bitch that way 😁

I'm 25+5 pregnant. Whilst it's not an ideal time to be pregnant, it's not an ideal time for anything, and I can think of many worse positions to be in right now.

Mine is an IVF baby and I absolutely feel super fortunate every day to be pregnant. As long as my baby is healthy, I'm feeling blessed.

So I would say that it depends on your personal circumstances and what pregnancy means to you now. If you feel like waiting is risking your opportunity to have children and you're not bothered about the fuss of pregnancy then go for it

I’m pregnant now (12 weeks) I don’t think I would have necessarily put it on hold at this time if I was trying, however, I would say that maternity services are suffering at the moment due to COVID.

It depends I guess on how much intervention you would want/need during your pregnancy and if that’s an important factor to you.

I personally feel I need a handhold in relation to my mental health and I know the services are struggling to provide the same level of support as they were prior to Covid.

I'm 8 weeks at the moment (discovered I was pregnant just around the time the government placed pregnant women in the vulnerable category) - it isn't an ideal scenario: there is no evidence of the impact of possible exposure in the first trimester (although it's probably fine, no-one can be sure) and my husband won't be able to attend the 12 week scan (and possibly not 20 week either) which is pretty rubbish as it's our first child and was an experience we really should have been able to share together. Staffing levels in the NHS are stretched and appointments are being cut, which could pose a higher risk, although all the decisions are obviously carefully considered, they're balanced decisions based in the fact that they likely think exposure to Covid-19 is the higher risk than missing face-to-face appointments. I wouldn't change being pregnant now at all (this was planned and after 4 months of ttc): but the current situation does mean added stress and although I am generally a pretty resilient person, I have felt anxious about it at times. The prospect of this lasting a long time and of not being able to go out and shop for baby things in person or enjoy my last summer of child-free freedom is not world-endingly awful, but it also isn't ideal. The possibility of a deadly disease impacting my unborn child is something I cannot control (aside from obviously protecting myself through distancing) but is on my mind.

No-one can tell you what the right thing to do will be: only you can make that decision for yourself.
My advice is to do your research carefully and consider all the factors, including taking an honest look at your own resilience and ability to cope under the extra pressure of the current coronavirus/lockdown situation: especially if it continues for several months. Then make the decision that's right for you and don't worry about what other people think.

Still trying.... well got a positive test today so I guess I succeeded!

I am 39 with a history of recurrent miscarriage - I don’t have time to press pause. I am a doctor working in the hospital where I will receive all my antenatal care so no additional risk going to the very minimal appointments I need I’m in there every bloody day anyway. If I miscarry I’ll manage it at home on my own as I’ve done many times before.

If it’s successful I am low risk and have had previous unassisted deliveries. I don’t feel any guilt over putting added stress on the NHS they get their pound of flesh from me!

Are all the people saying it’s selfish to TTC giving up smoking, drinking, drugs, saturated fat, salt and sugar and taking regular exercise in order to be as healthy as possible in order not to place a burden on the NHS??

@Moo678

Couldn't agree more. People have to get on with their lives. For some women, not TTC for the foreseeable is a terrible prospect with potentially lifelong consequences.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Really hope it goes well for you.

We’ve stopped trying. I’m late 30s and have a 3 year old DD (ivf baby). I spent a lot of my pregnancy in hospital last time for reasons which are likely to recur again and I’m on the shielding list. I also lost a baby last year, which again resulted in me needing a lot of medical help. I would absolutely love a second child and time is not on my side, but I feel it’s too much of a risk at the moment given my circumstances.