Many women have doubts about vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy, but the authorities have reported that these drugs are safe and effective and that they can prevent future health problems derived from severe SARS-CoV-2 infection . Now, a study conducted by members of the University of California-San Francisco has found that passing the coronavirus in pregnancy increases the risk of very premature birth, that is, less than 32 weeks of gestation.
Specifically, the research has found that pregnant women who had passed COVID-19 had up to 60% more risk of giving birth before the 32nd week of gestation, while the chances of a delivery with less than 37 weeks -considered already as premature – was 40% higher compared to the uninfected.
The risk of premature birth in pregnant women with COVID-19 and pathologies such as obesity, diabetes or hypertension increased by 160%
The study, which has been recently published in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, has also found that, in the case of pregnant women who have other pathologies, such as diabetes, obesity or hypertension, the risk of premature birth due to COVID-19 increased by 160%, a significantly high figure.
Premature births lead to more infant complications
“Premature birth is associated with many challenging outcomes for pregnant people and babies, and very preterm births carry the highest risk of infant complications,” says Deborah Karasek, lead author of the research. For this reason, the researcher emphasizes the importance of adopting preventive measures against COVID-19 in pregnant women, especially vaccination.
In Spain, given the increase in cases of pregnant women with COVID-19, the Public Health Commission has agreed on a series of recommendations such as that all pregnant women are vaccinated with all doses before the end of the second trimester of pregnancy, which is when more risk of complications from coronavirus have been reported.
The authors also found that preterm birth rates did not change based on whether deliveries were spontaneous or medically indicated, which could indicate multiple pathways between COVID-19 diagnosis and preterm birth, as Karasek explained. . Even so, there are certain limitations in the study, such as the severity of the patients’ illness or in what month they were infected, and the researchers indicate that they continue to analyze more cases to learn more about this association.
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