Management of pregnant women with COVID-19 infection should be conducted by a multidisciplinary team within the framework of an individualized patient approach for favorable outcomes.

Objective To evaluate the course and effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on pregnant women followed up in a Turkish institution. Methods A prospective, single tertiary pandemic center cohort study was conducted on pregnant women with confirmed or suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. Positive diagnosis was made on a real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) assay of a nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal specimen. Demographic features, clinical characteristics, and maternal and perinatal outcomes were evaluated. Results SARS‐CoV‐2 was suspected in 100 pregnant women. Of them, 29 had the diagnosis confirmed by RT‐PCR. Eight of the remaining 71 cases had clinical findings highly suspicious for COVID‐19. Ten (34.5%) of the confirmed cases had co‐morbidities. Cough (58.6%) and myalgia (51.7%) were the leading symptoms. COVID‐19 therapy was given to 10 (34.5%) patients. There were no admissions to the intensive care unit. Pregnancy complications were present in 7 (24.1%) patients. Half of the births (5/10) were cesarean deliveries. None of the neonates were positive for SARS‐CoV‐2. Samples of breastmilk were also negative for the virus. Three neonates were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Conclusion The clinical course of COVID 19 during pregnancy appears to be mild in the present study.

Introduction. Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB), occurring in 2–11% of pregnancies, is a major predisposition to the development of pyelonephritis, which is associated with obstetrical complications, such as preterm labor and low birth weight infants. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ASB, the antibacterial susceptibilities of the isolated microorganisms and the associated risk factors in an outpatient clinical setting in Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Material and Methods. Between December 2009 and May 2010, pregnant women admitted to the antenatal outpatient clinic were included in this study. The results of a complete urine analysis, midstream urine culture and antibacterial susceptibility were evaluated. Results. Of the 2011 pregnant women included, 171 had ASB (8.5%). E. coli was the most frequently isolated microorganism (76.6%), followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (14.6%). Both microorganisms were highly sensitive to fosfomycin, sensivity being 99.2% for E. coli and 88% for Klebsiella pneumonia. Conclusions. In this certain geographical region, we found E. coli as the most common causative agent of ASB in the obstetric population and it is very sensitive to fosfomycin. We recommend fosfomycin for ASB in pregnant women due to its high sensitivity, ease of administration and safety for use in pregnancy.

Objective To investigate the rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positivity in asymptomatic pregnant women admitted to hospital for delivery in a Turkish pandemic center. Study Design This prospective cohort study was conducted in Ankara City Hospital between April, 15, 2020 and June, 5, 2020. A total of 206 asymptomatic pregnant women (103 low-risk pregnant women without any defined risk factor and 103 high-risk pregnant women) were screened for SARS-CoV-2 positivity upon admission to hospital for delivery. Detection of SARS-CoV2 in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples was performed by Real Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method targeting RdRp (RNA dependent RNA polymerase) gene. Two groups were compared in terms of demographic features, clinical characteristics and SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Results Three of the 206 pregnant women participating in the study had positive RT-PCR tests (1.4 %) and all positive cases were in the high-risk pregnancy group. Although, one case in the high-risk pregnancy group had developed symptoms highly suspicious for COVID-19, two repeated RT-PCR tests were negative. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positivity rate was significantly higher in the high-risk pregnancy group (2.9 % vs 0%, p = 0.04). Conclusion Healthcare professionals should be cautious in the labor and delivery of high-risk pregnant women during the pandemic period and universal testing for COVID-19 may be considered in selected populations.

Purpose To compare the clinical features and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the pre-variant and post-variant periods. Methods This prospective cohort study includes pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 who were followed-up at Ankara City Hospital between 11, March 2020 and 15, September 2021. Demographic features, clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the pre-variant ( n = 1416) and post-variant ( n = 519) groups. Results The rates of severe and critical cases significantly increased in the post-variant group (9.7% vs 2%, p < 0.001). The rates of respiratory support (26.8% vs 7.3%, p < 0.001), ICU admission (12.9% vs 1.8%, p < 0.001) and maternal mortality (2.9% vs 0.4%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the post-variant group. A significant increase was observed for pregnancy complications in the post-variant group (45.6% vs 18.8%, p = 0.007). The rates of preterm delivery (26.4% vs 4.4%, p < 0.001) and NICU admission (34% vs 18.8%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the post-variant group. Positive, weak, statistically significant correlations were observed between the post-variant period, disease severity and maternal mortality ( r = 0.19, r = 0.12 and p < 0.001). Conclusion Post-variant COVID-19 period was associated with a severe course of the disease and increased rates of adverse obstetric outcomes in pregnant patients.