Pregnancy and COVID 19

With all the hysteria surrounding, COVID-19, one would think that the virus is a death sentence for everyone.  In fact, we are learning a lot about risk factors which indicate many are not at high risk.  Initially there was concern that pregnant moms and their newborns might be at higher risk, but a report from University of Texas Southwestern suggests that while not free of risk, they are at least at much lower risk than initially suspected.

Their study of 252 moms testing positive for the virus from March to August of 2020, indicated that only 5% had negative outlines.  Only 6 of the 252 developed severe cases of COVID-19.  The risk of “adverse outcomes, including preterm birth, preeclampsia with severe features, or cesarean delivery for abnormal fetal heart rate” was not increased.  Only preterm birth was increased if a mom developed severe illness before 37 weeks of pregnancy. When delivered placentas were examined, the majority were not affected by the virus.

This is definitely good news in the work to protect the vulnerable while allowing others to return to work and life.  We should set up reasonable protections around pregnant moms and their babies, but thankfully, they are not in the highest risk population.  Helping everyone live healthier more abundant lives includes protecting the vulnerable AND enabling the strong to continue producing and providing.

Original Article:

Emily H. Adhikari, Wilmer Moreno, Amanda C. Zofkie, Lorre MacDonald, Donald D. McIntire, Rebecca R. J. Collins, Catherine Y. Spong. Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women With and Without Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection. JAMA Network Open, 2020; 3 (11): e2029256 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.29256

Thanks to Science Daily:

UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Study finds low risk of pregnancy complications from COVID-19.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 November 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201119141710.htm>.