Coronavirus and Pregnancy: What to Know

Many pregnant women are concerned about COVID-19’s impact on their health and that of their unborn child. According to experts at  Harvard Health Publishing, the data at this time is extremely limited, but the same precautionary rules apply to pregnant women as to the rest of the population.

Practice good hand-washing hygiene, avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose, and avoid large gatherings, say the doctors quoted in the Harvard Health article. Social distancing is important to limit the spread of the virus. The risk, say experts, of developing symptoms of COVID-19 may be the same for pregnant woman as for the general population.

However, the risk for complications during pregnancy, such as preterm birth, may be higher than those for the general population, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who studied the data from other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS.

Another concern is whether the pregnant woman who is infected with the new virus can pass it along to her fetus and newborn. The Harvard experts, Huma Farid, M.D. and her husband, Babar Memon, M.D., MSc, an infectious disease specialist, say a study of nine women who were infected with COVID-19 and had symptoms, showed than none of their babies were affected by the virus. “The virus was not present in the amniotic fluid, the babies’ throats, or in breast milk,” say the authors. “The risk of passing the infection to the fetus appears to be very low, and there is no evidence of any fetal malformations or effects, due to maternal infection with COVID-19,” they report.

Breastfeeding is another area of concern for new moms infected with the virus. There is no evidence that the virus is found in breast milk but mothers should wear a face mask to minimize infants’ exposure to the virus.

Many pregnant moms are fearful that their doctors may not be present at the time of delivery.

“At this time, there is no plan for any other doctors to be pulled from their regular duties to staff other parts of the hospital,” say the doctors at Harvard. “Obstetrics is an essential component of health, and it is unlikely that an ob/gyn will not be present at the time of your baby’s birth. Consult with your health care team about this.”

Dr. Marc Siegel, medical correspondent for Fox News, advised pregnant women to seclude themselves from work environments.

“Pregnancy is a form of slightly being immunocompromised,” he said. “Your immune system is being tied up protecting your unborn child. Stay away from work environments. I don’t think you should put yourself at risk.”