Coronavirus Patients May Experience Higher Risk of Pregnancy Complications

Recently, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has published a new report on the impact of the coronavirus infection in pregnant women. Based on current research, it suggests that women with the virus may experience an increased number of pregnancy complications and may even have higher chances of having a pre-term delivery in comparison with normal delivery.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, health experts stated that women who are expecting may be among those who are more vulnerable to the infection. However, it was also generally assumed that the virus does not cause any additional problems, and women who contract it during the infection can give have a healthy child if they receive treatment and follow all instructions.

With the passage of time, doctors from different parts of the world started reporting the impact of coronavirus during pregnancy. In fact, cases of the virus being passed down through transplacental transmission were also noted frequently in many of the women.

Now, the report by CDC highlights other issues as well. According to the health agency, women with coronavirus are at a twenty-five percent higher risk of having a preterm birth. Secondly, women who also show symptoms of infection three more likely to have complications in comparison with women who are asymptomatic.

In addition to examining the association between pregnancy problems and the coronavirus, the report also looked at the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. Although the chances of stillbirth are very low, miscarriage may be a bigger problem in women with the coronavirus.

A study, which was published in JAMA Network in July, also showed that the number of women experiencing pregnancy problems and stillbirths went up during the coronavirus health crisis. However, the primary reason for this may not be the virus itself but the lack of medical checkups.

Due to the prevailing fear of coronavirus, many people have delayed or stopped going to their doctors entirely.

For pregnant women and for those whose medical conditions require regular medical examinations, this can be dangerous and lead to irreversible health outcomes.

Pregnant women should specifically be more cautious about their medical appointments as well as generally for the prevention of coronavirus.

In case of catching the infection, seeking medical attention, and starting treatment as soon as possible is also necessary in order to avoid any complications especially in women with complicated pregnancies.

Read also: Can Wearing Mask Actually Increase Coronavirus Risk?

According to health experts, compromised or complicated pregnancies are far more likely to be affected by diseases that cause high levels of inflammation and stress in the body as they can also result in miscarriage.

Overall, researchers generally agree that there is a lot more to be learned about the impact of coronavirus infection on pregnant women and the risk of pregnancy complications but the current evidence is also enough to establish that the virus can cause inflammation in the body, which, in turn, can affect the pregnancy.

Therefore, women who are expecting should follow the guidelines more strictly but also not delay their appointments with their doctors and medical checkups.