Impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes between women contaminated or not during pregnancy

a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Because it is a systemic infectious disease, pregnant women and newborns may be more susceptible to complications after contamination by COVID-19. Objective: To compare gestational and neonatal outcomes among women infected or not by COVID-19 during the pandemic, during pregnancy. Method: An online interview was conducted with 100 women. Data collection consisted of questions about the individuals' personal characteristics (age, date of birth, height, and weight), contamination by COVID-19 and classification of symptoms, in addition to gestational factors (complications during pregnancy after contamination by COVID-19, abortion, duration of pregnancy, type of childbirth and need for postpartum hospitalization) and neonatal (baby survival, weight, size, Apgar and head circumference). Results: The results point to significant differences between the groups for data on the length of stay of the woman after delivery (p=0.003), such as gestational outcome, and size (p=0.035) and head circumference (p=0.009) of the newborn, such as neonatal outcomes. No statistical differences were found for the other variables. Conclusion: Women who were infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy were hospitalized longer after delivery, and their babies showed a significant reduction in head circumference and size. Future longitudinal studies should confirm whether this relationship is cause/consequence.

Key words: COVID-19; Pregnancy; Newborn.