The Covid-19 pandemic has suspended many pregnancy plans. Some women don’t wait any longer.

“I had been working at home with my two toddlers for about a year without a daycare,” Ms Hodgdon said of her decision. “It was just like a mental overload that I couldn’t stand.”

Ms Hodgdon’s dilemma occurs in every home and in physician’s offices around the world.

Some women who postponed planned pregnancies during the first blockages continue to hold out while waiting for stability. The rise of the Delta variant only increased their concern.

Other women who have taken a break are rushing to speed up their reproductive plans. Many are increasingly aware of the ticking of the body clock which can make further delays risky. Some of these women are betting that a small window has now opened for them to resume their paused pregnancy plans before the shutdowns return.

Renee Haines, a mental health counselor in Columbus, Ohio, said the availability of vaccines convinced her to start a postponed pregnancy.

She and her husband initially postponed pregnancy plans due to fear of the effects of Covid on a newborn baby. Next, Ms Haines, 33, said her job was in jeopardy when her workplace faced financial constraints in 2020.

In January, Haines learned that she would be among the first Americans to have access to the vaccine given her health work. She and her husband started trying to have their second child in February.

“I think a vaccine is protection. It’s not a panacea, ”said Ms. Haines.

Data on any increase in pregnancies are not yet available as most governments and hospitals measure births. Any increase would come after the historically low birth rates last year.

Tomer Singer, the medical director of Shady Grove Fertility in Manhattan, said he had seen an increase in the number of patients since March and April, when most adults in the tri-state area began to have access to the Covid vaccine. -19.

“It’s almost like the feeling of a wasted year,” he said.

Shady Grove Fertility hit an all-time high for new patient planning during June, registering 34% growth from June 2020. Its fertility center is part of US Fertility, the largest fertility center in the country. country, with 42 locations across the country.

Fertility specialists say patients return to family planning for many reasons. Some families try again because they have a new sense of security. Others think time is running out.

“A few months here or there won’t make a big difference, but can six months to a year make a difference? Yes it can, ”said Kimberley Thornton of Reproductive Medicine Associates in New York City.

Arden Cartrette, 28, gave birth to her first child two weeks before pandemic closures hit her hometown of Siler City, North Carolina

Ms Cartrette had suffered complications from getting pregnant the first time, so she and her husband knew they wanted to start trying for a second child as quickly as possible. Even under this pressure, they waited until she received the vaccine.

“Once I was vaccinated, I felt more comfortable,” said Ms. Cartrette, who works as a doula for women who have miscarried. She knew that nursing mothers could pass the antibodies from the vaccine to their newborns through breast milk, so she planned to start trying as soon as the vaccine was in sight.

“In fact, my son stopped breastfeeding right before I was vaccinated so he didn’t get any of the antibodies from breast milk and that’s always something I’ve regretted,” she said. .

Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. As women age, their fertility declines: experts call this fact of life “advanced maternal age”, which they say begins at age 35.

Yet healthcare providers and fertility specialists have said many patients are unaware that fertility can start to decline around age 30 and dip around age 37. Dr Singer said some doctors notice their patients’ sense of urgency and give them direct referrals rather than doing preliminary fertility tests themselves.

“They call me, [saying] “OK, I have this 36 year old man. They are very nervous, you just have to do everything in advance, ”said Dr Singer. It takes about a week for her to get a full check-up on her patients, which may include semen analysis, fallopian tube tests, ultrasound, and tests that measure FSH and AMH hormones.

Discussions about intrauterine insemination, or IUI, and in vitro fertilization, or IVF, may follow. He said women with and without partners seek fertility treatment, including those looking to get pregnant now and those who want to preserve their options for the future.

For future parents of the pandemic era, unpredictability is the lesson learned.

Back in Long Island, Ms. Hodgdon more recently decided to move on with a possible pregnancy.

She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at the age of 27 and then took quick action to preserve her fertility. She was elated when the recent transfer of frozen embryos resulted in a pregnancy. Then, she had an early miscarriage last month.

“This, to me, makes me feel like I shouldn’t have waited,” Ms Hodgdon said. She is worried about the quality of her remaining embryos.

“It’s such a bet,” she said.

Ms Hodgdon is reassured to know that the Covid-19 vaccine she has received decreases the risk of serious illness. Because her twins are too young to receive doses, she considers getting the vaccine the best way to protect them and any future siblings.

“I have done all I could by getting the vaccine, and if things start to stop again, it’s like I can’t go on and on indefinitely,” Ms Hodgdon said. “I want another child.”

Write to Erin Delmore at [email protected]