Top 10 stories about COVID-19 and pregnancy in 2021
COVID-19 dominated the headlines in 2021, as doctors and patients alike feared its effects on pregnancy. Here are Healio’s top 10 stories about the intersection between the disease and reproductive health.
Studies show mRNA vaccination does not hinder fertility.
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines do not hinder fertility, early pregnancy outcomes or sperm quality, according to studies presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress & Expo. Read more.
Q&A: Vaccination ‘absolute, best way’ to protect pregnant women against COVID-19 risks
In an urgent Health Advisory on Sept. 29, the CDC strongly recommended that women who are pregnant, who were recently pregnant, who are trying to conceive or who may become pregnant in the future get vaccinated against COVID-19. Read more.
COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt women’s reproductive health
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the reproductive health of many women, and these women may need additional medical and psychosocial support, according to a presentation at Society for Endocrinology BES 2021. Read more.
SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may cause preeclampsia
SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was associated with higher odds of preeclampsia, and this relationship may be causal, according to a study published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Read more.
COVID-19 pandemic impacts family planning for NYC moms
Nearly half of the mothers in New York City who had been trying to become pregnant before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped trying during the first few months of the outbreak, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. Read more.
OB/GYNs make effort to offer COVID-19 vaccination to postpartum inpatients
Most obstetric patients at a single institution were offered COVID-19 vaccination, and although vaccine uptake was low, researchers said the rate of vaccination at discharge was 50% higher than at admission. Read more.
Women’s COVID-19 outcomes worse during pandemic’s second wave in India
Women with COVID-19 during the pandemic’s second wave in India had higher rates of severe disease, admissions to the ICU or high dependency unit and maternal deaths compared with the first wave, findings show. Read more.
Survey shows many people paused efforts to conceive due to COVID-19 pandemic
Most people who were trying to become pregnant or attempted pregnancy before the COVID-19 pandemic but then changed their conception plans said they did so temporarily because of pandemic-related concerns, survey data show. Read more.
Vaccination lowers odds of severe COVID-19 in pregnancy during delta surge
A retrospective cohort study in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that pregnant patients who were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 were less likely to have severe COVID-19 or any severity of the disease in the context of the delta variant surge. Read more.
MRI study shows COVID-19 during pregnancy does not harm fetal brain development
COVID-19 appears to have no effect on the brains of the developing fetuses of pregnant women with mild to moderate cases of the disease, according to a study presented at the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting. Read more.