Pregnancy increases risk of COVID-19 complications for women and their babies
LA TimesA study of more than 2,000 pregnant women from dozens of hospitals around the world has found that those with COVID-19 saw a significantly higher risk of death and of complications for themselves or their newborns. For pregnant women with coronavirus infections that did not cause COVID-19 symptoms, the picture was not nearly as grim: They had a 24% higher risk of illness and a 63% higher risk of preeclampsia. “You isolate more, you have your mask wearing and your space and adhere to those sort of general measures, or you avoid COVID by getting vaccinated.” Dr. C. Mary Healy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the biology of pregnancy may help explain why women can find themselves vulnerable to COVID-19. Healy also noted that the high relative death rate reported in the study was based on pregnant COVID-19 patients who were concentrated in parts of the world “where resources were less readily available, specifically resources associated with intensive care practices.” Pluym praised the size and global scope of the study, adding that researchers should build on the findings by following the mothers and babies to track any long-term effects of COVID-19.