Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented global health, economic, and social crises, which has had a significant impact on the world’s population, with a surge in maternal deaths in both developing and developed countries. However, there remains a paucity of data on the impact of the pandemic on fertility and reproductive function, especially among low- and middle-resource countries.
Methods: This retrospective study examines the impact of the pandemic on birth rates in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, two middle-resource countries. Birth data was gathered from three major hospitals in these countries, covering a period of nine years (2015-2023),
Findings: Our analysis of birth data reveals a significant decline in births during the pandemic, with an 11.7% decrease in mean births per year (11,063.0 vs 9,846.7); p < 0.001. The decline in births was more pronounced in Barbados, with a 13.7% decrease, compared to 10.3% and 10.2% at the two hospitals in Trinidad.
Conclusion: The greatest impact on birth rates resulted from the peak of the Omicron variant in Trinidad and the Delta variant in Barbados. Furthermore, this study suggests that the pandemic has had a negative impact on fertility, with the decline in births persisting even after the pandemic. The findings are consistent with historical crises, such as the Great Depression and the 2008 economic downturn, which also had a negative impact on fertility rates.