A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology highlights the effects of the COVID-19 infection in pregnant mothers to the histology of their placentas after giving birth.
In the study, sixteen pregnant women giving birth between March 18 to May 5, 2020, with a positive infection of the coronavirus, were identified and studied. Their placentas were thoroughly examined and compared to historical control groups and women with a history of melanoma.
The results revealed that 15 third trimester placentas obtained from the COVID-19 positive women showed at least one characteristic of maternal vascular malperfusion, injured or abnormal maternal vessels, and intervillous thrombi. Rates of inflammation, however, were not noticed to have increased.
In one placenta, which was delivered in the second trimester following intrauterine fetal demise, features of villous edema and retroplacental hematoma were evident. Following the findings from the study, the authors suggest that increased antenatal surveillance for pregnant women with COVID-19 should be called for.
Also Read: 115 Healthy Babies have Been Born from Mothers Infected with COVID-19 in India
How does Coronavirus Affect Pregnant Women and Babies in Uterus?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes that pregnant people appear to have just as much risk for COVID-19 as other regular adults. However, with much about the disease still unknown, extra precaution is still advised.
On the other hand, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that data from other coronaviruses, like MERS and SARS, shows that pregnant women who get COVID-19 may have a higher risk for some complications, such as preterm birth. However, they emphasize that data on the matter is minimal and that the viral infection may not be the leading cause of preterm birth.
Another study from the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology suggests that more than 90% of mothers infected with coronavirus infections, along with COVID-19, were diagnosed with pneumonia. Furthermore, pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preeclampsia, cesarean, and perinatal death were more common in mothers affected by the virus than in the general population.
Although data remains to be limited and further studies are needed, the authors of the study suggest that their findings can serve as a guide for the enhancement of prenatal counseling in women with COVID-19 infection occurring during their pregnancy.
Pregnant Women with Coronavirus Infections
A study published in the journal Acta Obstetricia Gynecologica Scandinavica analyzed the first 108 pregnancies reported with a certain COVID-19 infection. The mothers involved in the study presented the classic symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and dry, persistent cough. However, not all women showed symptoms. Some appeared well, while some only displayed one or two symptoms.
Most of the mothers involved were in their third trimester and required hospital admission with medical treatment. Moreover, only a few required treatments in an intensive care unit, and no deaths were reported.
Furthermore, another study examined 215 pregnant women, delivering at the University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian hospital between March 22 and April 4. The results of the study revealed that 33 women tested positive for the virus.
However, shockingly, 88% of those women did not experience or show symptoms. Due to this, many health professionals are wary that many pregnant women could be silent carriers of the virus without being affected by it themselves.
