Pregnant women with Covid-19 are are prone to having a premature birth.
According to a new study, pregnant women who contract Covid are twice as likely as other women to give birth prematurely.
Over the course of a year, from March 2020 to March 2021, US experts observed 43,000 expecting moms, with 1,300 of them testing positive.
In addition to an increased chance of having a premature birth, moms who were infected with Covid were at an elevated risk of sepsis and blood clots.
experts suggest that Covid infections may exacerbate existing disorders such as difficulties with the uterus and the cervical mucosa, increasing the likelihood of an early birth. They asserted that children who are born before their due date may be at greater risk of developing mental and cardiovascular disorders.
The findings of the study, according to the researchers, should be utilized to urge expectant moms and women planning to have a child to be vaccinated.
It is estimated that over half of pregnant women in England (48 percent) were vaccinated when they gave birth in November 2021, the latest date for which data is available.
US scientists found Covid-positive pregnant women were twice as likely to have an early birth as those who did not catch the virus (Stock image of a pregnant women being jabbed)
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, was carried out before vaccines were offered to pregnant women in the UK and US.
Pregnant women were initially told not to get Covid vaccines when they were first rolled out, as is standard practice with most medicines.
Original jab trials didn’t include them for ethical reasons, so experts had to wait for more data to accrue.
A mountain of studies have since shown them to be safe and effective in the group, prompting campaigns to encourage mothers-to-be to get jabbed.
Scientists extracted data on patients from healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente. Infections were only included if they were PCR-positive.
Results showed 143 Covid-positive women (10 per cent) gave birth before the 37-week mark.
For comparison, 3,438 expectant mothers (eight per cent) who did not have Covid gave birth early.
But after analysis taking into account age, deprivation and body weight, scientists said Covid-positive women were at much higher risk of an early birth.
Senior researcher and lead author Assiamira Ferrara said: ‘These findings add to the growing evidence that having Covid during pregnancy raises risks of serious complications.
‘Coupled with the evidence that the Covid vaccines are safe during pregnancy, these findings should aid patients in understanding the risks of perinatal complications and the need for vaccination.’
She added: ‘This study supports the recommendation for vaccination of pregnant individuals and those planning conception.’
Previous research has also suggested pregnant women face an increased risk of complications if they catch Covid.
Edinburgh University scientists also found in a paper published in January that expectant mothers who caught Covid within 28 days of their due date were twice as likely to give birth prematurely.
And they were up to four times more likely to have a stillbirth.
In the paper, experts did not speculate on why mothers-to-be who catch Covid late in pregnancy are most at risk — but the internal stress of carrying a baby can weaken the immune system.
