Is it safe to get pregnant during covid-19 pandemic?
COVID-19 is still a relatively new disease about which we are learning more every day. We really don't know anything about how this virus affects pregnant women and their unborn children. We understand that for the majority of people, this has been a frightening moment.
Because of the pandemic, 34% of 2,000 women polled in May said they wanted to postpone pregnancy or have fewer children. Many patients are now wondering if waiting is the best option.
We've often urged women to consult their doctor before getting pregnant, even before the pandemic. Complications can be exacerbated by underlying health problems such as diabetes or heart disease.
What are the dangers to your wellbeing and the health of your baby?
We still don't know a lot about COVID-19, particularly when it comes to pregnancy. In June, the Centre’s for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a study suggesting that pregnant women who have COVID-19 are at a higher risk of serious illness. However, it was discovered that pregnant women infected with COVID-19 had no higher chance of dying from the virus than non-pregnant women of the same age.
COVID-19 infections do not tend to cause the same complications as Zika infections, which cause severe brain damage.
According to new proof, the virus can transfer from mother to foetus through the placenta before birth. However, since many of these patients haven't delivered yet, we don't yet have data on the results of women who had infections early in pregnancy.
COVID-19 vaccine trials did not involve pregnant mothers. No live virus is used in any of the trial vaccines I've seen, so the final vaccine should be safe for pregnant patients. Consult your doctor until vaccination becomes an option.
Precautions to avoid Covid-19:
The acts of each person have a big impact on their chances of contracting COVID-19. To remain healthy, we've all had to make changes such as physical separation, wearing a mask, and washing our hands.
Whether you're pregnant or planning to conceive, you should be extra cautious about COVID-19 prevention. Avoid large crowds and choose video chats instead of in-person socializing. If you have guests, ask them to wear a mask, wash their hands when they arrive, and keep a distance of at least six feet between you and them.
What happens if I get COVID-19 while pregnant?
So far, the symptoms of COVID-19 in pregnant women seem to be close to those of non-pregnant women, and include fever, shortness of breath, and cough (and some people will have no symptoms).
For certain pregnant women, this may be perplexing because shortness of breath is a common physiologic phenomenon during pregnancy. If you have difficulty breathing while sleeping, or if you have any other emergency warning signs, such as chest pain or pressure, confusion, inability to remain awake, or blue lips or ears, get help right away.
How will I remain healthy in pandemic Situation when I wish to conceive?
There are several steps you can take to reduce your COVID-19 exposure and improve your pregnancy health. Maintaining your prenatal visit schedule will assist your healthcare provider in ensuring the health of both you and your child. Washing your hands, keeping a social distance, avoiding interaction with others, wearing a mask at work and in public, and keeping a stock of tools to keep you prepared to stay at home are all ways to lower your risk.
If you're trying to conceive, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) suggests getting a flu shot (4). Anyone who will be pregnant during flu season should get a flu shot, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women get flu vaccines first. During the flu season, the Centre’s for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that anyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot.
Home births versus hospital births during coronavirus:
If your pregnancy is low-risk and you have access to a midwife, you may want to consider getting a home birth to reduce the chances of contracting the virus. Home births, on the other hand, are clearly not for all, as Poliquin points out. “It has to be a comprehensive, individualised evaluation. “You could do better at home with a midwife if it's a low-risk delivery and you've had a baby before without complications,” she says. However, there are quite a number of circumstances in which a hospital birth is preferable.
Statistics
- The Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes During Pregnancy – Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. The Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine is conducting a study to establish SARS-CoV-2 sero-prevalence among pregnant women, or the approximate percentage of pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The study also looks at the connection between SARS-CoV-2 infection and poor pregnancy outcomes using data from electronic health records. Researchers will look at how SARS-CoV-2 infection affects pregnant women in New York City's underserved populations, as well as the role of maternal stress.
- Perinatal COVID-19 in the U.S.: Surveillance and Epidemiology – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Florida, College of Medicine – Jacksonville. This national registry, led by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) external icon and the University of Florida, College of Medicine – Jackson ville external icon, is tracking the current prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women in order to educate clinical care and provide evidence for potential COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, and treatment studies.
Industrial Data:
Pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalised and admitted to the ICU than non-pregnant people of the same age, according to a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analysing COVID-19 cases from January to June. This is particularly true for Black and Hispanic pregnant people. The death risk for pregnant women with COVID-19 was not higher than for non- pregnant women in this study. Unfortunately, the CDC data leaves out a lot of details, such as whether hospitalizations were caused by COVID- 19 symptoms or pregnancy complications. In addition, the data did not include non-infected pregnant women’s hospitalisation or ICU admission rates as a comparison.
Study or expert opinions:
Studies have shown conflicting findings. Nine pregnant women in Wuhan- China were the Coronavirus was first identified, were found to have more serious pneumonia than non-pregnant patients in a small early study. And according to a February study by the World health organization (WHO) that looked at the outcomes of 147 pregnant women diagoned with COVID-19 in china, they were no more likely than non-pregnant people to develop life-threatening illness: 8% had serious disease and 1% were critical.
According to Dr. Natalie Rochester, a women's care and obstetrics specialist, high fevers during the first trimester of pregnancy can be harmful regardless of the cause.
It's still unclear if COVID-19 infection in a newborn will cause long-term problems. The majority of newborns who test positive for COVID-19 have mild to no symptoms, according to the CDC. COVID-19 can pose a greater risk of serious illness in babies with underlying health conditions or those born prematurely.
Two of us (S.A.R., D.J.J.) became aware of requests for the CDC to suggest postponing pregnancy during these public health crises as former CDC workers who played leadership roles in the responses to the 2009 H1N1 influenza and Zika virus outbreaks. When evidence emerged during the H1N1 influenza pandemic indicating that pregnant women with H1N1 influenza were at an elevated risk of complications and death, some physicians urged the CDC to advise women to wait until the pandemic was over before getting pregnant.
Given the opportunity to reduce the risk of harm to pregnant women through influenza prevention, antiviral prophylaxis, and early treatment, the CDC instead concentrated its resources on educating women and their physicians about how to avoid infection, the importance of early treatment, and the need for vaccination once a vaccine became available.