Q: I’m pregnant. Is there a risk that a COVID-19 infection will affect my pregnancy outcome?
A: Based on currently available information, pregnant women who become infected with COVID-19 do not appear to be at increased risk of miscarriage or other complications of pregnancy. However, pregnant women are known to be at greater risk of severe complications from other respiratory viral infections such as influenza and SARS. For that reason, pregnant women are considered an at-risk population for COVID-19.Notably, in many reports cesarean delivery has been used for women who presented in labor and delivery. Though evidence is limited, there are anecdotal cases where pregnant women infected with COVID-19 have encountered an exacerbation of breathing difficulties after delivery.
A recent report from the CDC suggests that pregnant women with COVID-19 appeared to be at increased risk of mechanical ventilation and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) compared to nonpregnant women, though the total number of women with severe complications overall is low. Pregnant women were not found to be at increased risk of death associated with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant women.