Table of contents:

Coronavirus in pregnant women
Coronavirus and childbirth
Prevention is key

Despite the information generally available about what coronavirus is, how to behave if you suspect it in yourself, or messages about how to act to minimise the risk of infection - we still have many questions. One of them is the one concerning pregnant women - whether they are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

As of today, there is no data on whether pregnant women are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19. As The New York Times publishes, research on this topic is incomplete and only looks at pregnancy in its later stages.

Important! The situation in the early stages of pregnancy is still unknown.

Coronavirus in pregnant women

In its report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that a group of 147 pregnant women were analysed for the course of COVID-19. Of these, 8 per cent had a severe course of the disease and 1 per cent had a critical course.

Experts are cautious in their arguments, stressing that it is too early to know the possible consequences of coronavirus on mothers and their newborns. To date, newborns born to women infected with COVID-19 have been free of the virus. This is according to a study that was carried out on nine women and their newborn children and published in the pages of the medical journal The Lancet.

Pregnancy as such has no effect on the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, however, pregnant women are more likely to face additional problems, which include a longer period of hospitalisation and more frequent need for mechanical ventilation.

COVID-19 is a lung condition that makes breathing difficult. Patients during pregnancy often complain of symptoms related to dyspnoea or difficult breathing.

Important! The treatment of a pregnant woman infected with coronavirus is no different to that of a woman who is not pregnant. The only difference is that the foetus is monitored.

Coronavirus and childbirth

To date, there is no evidence that a pregnant woman infected with COVID-19 can infect her baby during pregnancy. After birth, the newborn can be infected by the mother or others who are infected. It is important to remember that coronavirus is spread primarily by:

close contact with an infected person,
contact with the infected person's nasal and oral secretions (including the droplets of saliva released from the mouth when speaking, exhaling, coughing and sneezing).

Pregnancy in the age of the pandemic, photo: panthermedia

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (a US government agency that is part of the Department of Health and Human Services) recommends that pregnant women who have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection and have given birth should be separated from their newborns until it is confirmed that they are no longer infected.

Prevention is the key

Lowered immunity in pregnant women is a natural physiological symptom. The body weakens the immune mechanisms that could treat the foetus as a foreign body to be fought. This is why pregnant women are more likely to contract infections. It is important that they take care of prevention during this special time.

Pregnant women should follow the general safety rules, as is the case with other viral diseases (e.g. influenza):

wash hands regularly and thoroughly with soap,
avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands,
keeping a distance (at least 1 metre) from people coughing or sneezing,
avoid concentrations of people (e.g. supermarkets, public transport),
it is important to stay hydrated and have a healthy, balanced diet rich in vitamin C to boost immunity.

Pregnant women who suspect that they are infected with coronavirus should immediately contact their doctor in charge of their pregnancy or the relevant services.

Important! To date, no case of a pregnant woman being infected with COVID-19 has been reported in Poland.

In this article you will read about: pregnant women with coronavirus, childbirth during a pandemic and general safety rules.

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