Covid-19: pregnancies are much more often disrupted by the virus

All the more reason to get vaccinated even when you are pregnant? Pregnancies are more often disrupted by Covid-19, with in particular more risk of premature births, shows a study relayed this Tuesday, December 14 by the hospitals of Paris (APHP). “We have 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 proteins in the urine, editor’s note), hemorrhages in the time of childbirth and births by caesarean section “, summarizes this study conducted in France by APHP and published at the end of November in the journal PLOS.

These conclusions are in line with previous studies. They testify to a higher risk of problems during pregnancy and childbirth, when the mother is infected with Covid-19. The APHP study corresponds to the start of the pandemic, ie the first half of 2020. The researchers examined a posteriori the course of the pregnancy of patients with Covid-19 and compared it with spared pregnant women 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 patients with Covid-19. 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 positive for Covid-19 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.

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