Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Pregnancies Positive for SARS-CoV-2

In December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began in Wuhan, China with the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Based on evidence, pregnant women are more vulnerable to respiratory infections due to physiological changes in their bodies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcomes for mothers and newborns in the Sistan and Baluchestan province who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy.

The current retrospective study assessed 100 SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women and 50 healthy controls from hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences during 2019 - 2020. The data included demographic, clinical, and neonatal details, which were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS software version 25.

Our findings revealed that preterm birth occurred in 37% of pregnancies with COVID-19, and other complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (21%) and stillbirth (10%) were also prevalent. The majority of mothers (24%) were asymptomatic, with shortness of breath identified as the primary symptom (17%). Cesarean section rates were 30%, and miscarriage occurred in 2% of cases. Notably, complications such as placental abruption, meconium aspiration, and cardiorespiratory arrest were infrequent. Compared to mothers in good health, the outcomes for the newborns showed a significant difference in preterm birth (37% vs. 14%, P = 0.004) and premature rupture of the membranes (13% vs. 2%, P = 0.035).

This study emphasizes the increased risk of preterm birth and associated complications, along with varied maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies positive for SARS-CoV-2. The findings contribute to the understanding of COVID-19's impact on pregnancy outcomes, urging further comprehensive investigations for enhanced insights and the development of improved maternal-fetal care strategies.