pregnancies are more often disturbed by Sars-Cov-2, confirms a study relayed by AP-HP

Pregnancies are more often disrupted by Covid-19, with in particular more risk of premature births, shows a study relayed Tuesday, December 14 by hospitals in Paris (AP-HP). “We observed links between a diagnosis of Covid-19 and several maternal morbidities (including) premature births, pre-eclampsia (rise in blood pressure associated with an increase in protein in the urine), hemorrhages at the time of childbirth and cesarean births“, summarizes this study conducted in France by AP-HP and published at the end of November in the journal PLOS.

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The AP-HP study corresponds to the start of the pandemic, that is to say the first half of 2020. The researchers examined a posteriori the course of the pregnancy of patients with Covid and compared it with pregnant women spared by disease. This concerns a total of nearly 250,000 deliveries.

Among the main findings, the proportion of premature births before 37 weeks (eight and a half months) is twice as high in Covid patients. In contrast, the study did not notice more frequent cases of stillbirths in mothers with the disease.

This study, which has the advantage of having examined a large number of cases, has limitations linked to its principle. By studying the situation of pregnant women after the fact, she cannot prove a direct cause and effect link between Covid-19 and the problems encountered.

Among other limitations, only patients with symptoms were classified as Covid-19 cases. The study cannot therefore comment on the higher risk of problems in patients who are Covid-positive but asymptomatic.

Finally, this work only looks at pregnancies that have already entered their second trimester. The researchers were therefore unable to determine whether there was a higher risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy.