COVID-19 in pregnancy not linked with stillbirth or baby death
- 25 February 2021
- 1 min read
COVID-19 infection in pregnancy is not associated with stillbirth or early neonatal death, according to a new study.
However, the research, from over 4,000 pregnant women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, also found women who had a positive test were more likely to have a premature birth.
The research found that no babies died from COVID-19 in the study. There was also no increase in risk of stillbirth or low birth weight.
In UK data, 12% of women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 had a pre-term delivery, birth before 37 weeks. This was 60% higher than the national average rate of 7.5%.
In US data, 15.7% of women had a pre-term birth, 57% higher than the US national average of 10%.
The study team say part of this association may be due to doctors deciding to deliver the baby early due to concerns about the effect of COVID-19 infection on mother and baby. The rate of spontaneous pre-term birth was lower than expected.
Data included 189 women cared for at hospitals in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire.
