While there are risks associated with a COVID-19 diagnosis during pregnancy, it's important to remember that you have the power to mitigate these risks. Following specific precautions can significantly reduce your chances of contracting the virus or experiencing severe symptoms.
COVID-19 affects various populations differently. People who are in underserved populations, immunocompromised, or have pre-existing health conditions are at an increased risk of experiencing moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms. Some examples are:
Pregnancy increases the risk of severe disease caused by respiratory viral infections. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant people diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a virus closely related to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), were admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and had a higher rate of death than nonpregnant people.
Furthermore, pregnancy is hazardous if a person is infected with COVID-19. Researchers believe the risk is more significant because a person’s immune system is adjusted during pregnancy. The immune system focuses on not producing antifetal immune responses. Because COVID-19 targets the lungs and cardiovascular system, areas already under stress from pregnancy, pregnant people are vulnerable to infection and severe symptoms.
In the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Sweden published its findings on the effect COVID-19 had on pregnant and postpartum people. The research showed that pregnant infected with SARS-COV-2 or women who had recently given birth were at higher risk of requiring intensive care than nonpregnant women of the same age.
Since the study was published, further research maintains the findings. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has also found that those infected by COVID-19 are more likely to have:
Other complications are high blood pressure, heavy postpartum bleeding, a blood clotting disorder, or other infections.