COVID-19 During Pregnancy and Puerperium – A Review by the Austrian Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (OEGGG)

Abstract

After the first case of COVID-19 pneumonia was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019, the infection quickly spread to the rest of China and then to the wider world. The available information on pregnant women infected with COVID-19 is now significantly greater. There are now several case series and systematic reviews of cohorts, some of which include more than 100 cases. This review evaluates the scientific literature available until May 1, 2020 and discusses common questions about COVID-19 in the context of pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Delivery of Gynecology and Obstetrics Services at a Maximum Care University Hospital in Germany

“…Moreover, this arrangement represented an absolute exception in the inpatient setting; in all other departments, such as ICU units, exceptions to allow visitors were only made in the case of end-of-life care. One year after the pandemic outbreak of the novel coronavirus with its single-stranded RNA genome, the consequences of a COVID-19 infection for pregnancies during the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal stages remain unclear; possible effects relating to an increase in pregnancy complications in the presence of COVID-19 infection are still being discussed, and to date, there is no standardized, scientifically proven treatment regime for pregnant women infected with COVID-19 1 2 3 4 5 . Accordingly, in our opinion, there are two factors responsible for the positive trend in case numbers in the obstetrics department.…”

“…Darüber hinaus stellte diese Regelung eine absolute Ausnahme für den stationären Aufenthalt dar, während in allen übrigen Abteilungen, wie beispielsweise der intensivmedizinischen Versorgung, nur Ausnahmen im Rahmen der Sterbebegleitung getroffen wurden. Der Einfluss einer COVID-19-Infektion auf den prä-, peri- und postnatalen Verlauf von Schwangerschaften bleibt ein Jahr nach dem pandemischen Ausbruch des neuartigen einzelsträngigen RNA-Virus der Coronavirusfamilie weiterhin undurchsichtig, etwaige Effekte auf eine Zunahme an Schwangerschaftskomplikationen im Rahmen einer COVID-19-Erkrankung werden diskutiert und bis dato existiert kein einheitliches wissenschaftlich fundiertes Therapieregime für infizierte Gravida 1 2 3 4 5 . Ursächlich für die Positiventwicklung der geburtshilflichen Abteilung sind dementsprechend aus unserer Sicht 2 Faktoren.…”

The Association of Serum Electrolytes with Disease Severity and Obstetric Complications in Pregnant Women with COVID-19: a Prospective Cohort Study from a Tertiary Reference Center

“…Although advanced age, presence of comorbidities, genetic predisposition, viral load, and particular laboratory features were reported to be associated with more severe disease, our knowledge is still limited about the course of COVID-19 in pregnant women [6]. On the other hand according to the current literature pregnant women with chronic pre-existing comorbidites like cardiac/pulmonary disease or type 1 diabetes mellitus seem to be affected more seriously [7,8].…”

Corona and Reproduction, or Why the Corona Vaccination Does Not Result in Infertility

“…In Zeiten einer Pandemie stellt die Betreuung von Schwangeren eine große Herausforderung dar. Während man zu Beginn von keiner transplazentaren Übertragung im Falle einer mütterlichen Infektion ausging [20], zeigen neue Daten Veränderungen in der Plazenta von SARS-CoV-2-positiven Müttern wie z. B. vaskuläre Malperfusionen mit vermehrten synzytialen Knoten und fokale perivilläre Fibrinablagerungen [21,22].…”