Pregnant women with Covid-19 were found to be at an increased risk for common pregnancy complications, according to a study conducted in the United States.
The study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), gathered data from 17 hospitals in the US between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020.
Among 14 104 pregnant and postpartum individuals, 2,400 pregnant women were infected with the virus.
Those who had moderate to severe Covid-19 were more likely to have a ceasarean delivery, deliver preterm, experience hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, or have postpartum hemorrhage. They were also more likely to lose the baby during pregnancy or have an infant die during the newborn period.
Mild or asymptomatic infection was not associated with increased pregnancy risks, according to the study that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Dr Diana Bianchi, said vaccinations were the best way to protect pregnant women and their babies.
“The findings underscore the need for women of child-bearing age and pregnant individuals to be vaccinated and to take other precautions against becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2,” she said.
Compared to uninfected patients, those with moderate to severe Covid-19 were more likely to:
- Deliver by ceasarean (45% in Covid-19 group vs 32% in uninfected group)
- Deliver preterm (26% in Covid-19 group vs 14% in uninfected group )
- To have a fetal or newborn death (3% in Covid-19 group vs 1% in uninfected group).
