Table 1.
Number of births per month in Lombardy, 2019 and 2020
| Period | 2019 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural (No.) | ART (No.) | Natural (No.) | ART (No.) | |
| January | 5588 | 295 | 5562 | 259 |
| February | 4746 | 272 | 5030 | 249 |
| March | 5222 | 290 | 5149 | 290 |
| April | 5084 | 158 | 4774 | 187 |
| May | 5657 | 163 | 5246 | 148 |
| June | 5398 | 289 | 5021 | 301 |
| July | 5821 | 310 | 5472 | 308 |
| August | 5497 | 293 | 5205 | 261 |
| September | 5955 | 120 | 5609 | 146 |
| October | 5934 | 303 | 5409 | 309 |
| November | 5367 | 287 | 4646 | 233 |
| December | 5566 | 268 | 4575 | 36 |
In both study periods, some seasonal fluctuations in the impact of ART occurred. Nadirs in ART pregnancies were observed in April–May and September, corresponding to conceptions occurring during the summer (July–August) and winter (December–January) leaves in the country. The numbers in December 2020 are expected to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
ART, assisted reproductive technology (including ovarian stimulation, intrauterine insemination, IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection).