Covid-19 Moms at Higher Risk for Preterm Labor, Study Suggests

An OB-GYN reviews the latest coronavirus research in pregnancy

Photo by Ömürden Cengiz on Unsplash

Pregnant women worldwide continue to worry about catching Covid-19 and passing the virus to their unborn baby. Each day we learn more, but much remains unknown about the coronavirus’s effects on pregnant women and babies.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an early release document on November 6th titled Birth and Infant Outcomes Following Laboratory-Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pregnancy. This paper verifies growing scientific consensus that pregnant women are at a higher risk of preterm labor if they acquire Covid-19 during pregnancy.

Based on current data, there is no evidence at this time indicating pregnant women are more at risk than the general public. We know that viral infections in pregnancy and postpartum can lead to poor outcomes in mothers and newborns.

Preterm labor most likely results from the severity of the maternal illness and is not caused by the virus itself.

Data so far indicates a pregnant woman who contracts Covid-19 has a low risk of passing the virus to her baby. The PRIORITY study (Pregnancy Coronavirus Outcomes Registry) showed that only 1.1% of infants contract the virus. The PRIORITY study also showed babies born to Covid-19 positive women do well. These babies showed no increase in key metrics such as low birth weight, difficulty breathing, apnea, or respiratory infections through the first eight weeks of life.

This new CDC paper adds to our current understanding of the effects of Covid-19 during pregnancy, showing an increase in preterm labor and providing more information on infant infection rates.

During pregnancy, women have a temporarily suppressed immune system and physiologic changes in their lung function. These changes put pregnant women at a higher risk of respiratory problems when they contract similar viruses, such as influenza or pneumonia. OB-GYNs, therefore, consider pregnant women to be an at-risk group for respiratory compromise if they contract Covid-19.