Research uncovers high risk to pregnant women from COVID-19

A study of more than 2,100 pregnant women across 18 countries worldwide has revealed that COVID-19 is associated with a higher risk of severe maternal and newborn complications than previously recognised. The researchers, from the Nuffield Dept of Women's & Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford, report the findings of the INTERCOVID Study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics , providing, for the first time, detailed comparative information about the effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy. In the paper, published today, they conclude the risk to mothers and babies is greater than acknowledged at the beginning of the pandemic, and that health priority measures should include pregnant women. Aris Papageorghiou, Professor of Fetal Medicine at the University of Oxford, who co-led INTERCOVID, said, 'Women with COVID-19 during pregnancy were over 50% more likely to experience pregnancy complications (such as premature birth, pre-eclampsia, admission to intensive care and death) compared to pregnant women unaffected by COVID-19. 'Newborns of infected women were also nearly three times more at risk of severe medical complications, such as admission to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - mostly due to premature birth. The good news, however, is that the risks in symptomless infected women and non-infected women were similar.' The researchers sought to understand the effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy by collecting robust data on pregnant women with and without a diagnosis of COVID-19, an important step to ensure that families understand the risks involved, mothers and babies receive the best possible care, and health resources, such as vaccines, are appropriately allocated.