The baby of a vaccinated pregnant woman could be born with antibodies 0:58
(CNN) -
Pregnant women who develop symptoms of Covid-19 are at risk of emergency complications and other problems with their pregnancies, according to two new studies.
The disease also puts your children at risk.
The first study showed that pregnant women with symptomatic COVID-19 had a higher percentage of emergency complications compared to those who tested positive but had no symptoms.
This research was part of a presentation made at the 2021 Anaesthesiology Annual Meeting over the weekend.
Of the 100 covid-positive mothers who delivered babies between March and September last year at a hospital in Texas, 58% of those with symptomatic infections gave birth under emergency circumstances, the study found, which has yet to been peer reviewed.
For those with an asymptomatic case, 46% did.
They recommend that pregnant women get vaccinated against covid-19 0:52
Mothers with symptoms were more likely to have emergency complications that were dangerous to the baby.
More babies were breech, fetal movements were more likely to decrease, and some had very little amniotic fluid.
The study also found that babies born to these symptomatic mothers were much more likely to need oxygen support and more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
Additionally, babies born to these symptomatic mothers were much more likely to need oxygen support and were more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
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"Covid-19 has serious systemic effects on the body, especially in symptomatic patients," said Kristine Lane, a medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, who helped lead the study.
"It is possible that these effects are amplified in pregnant mothers, who have a higher maternal and fetal oxygen demand."
There's also the possibility, he said, that physicians caring for symptomatic patients were wary of the virus and proactively recommending a cesarean delivery.
Dr. Gil Mor, a reproductive immunologist who did not work on the study but reviewed the work, said it is also possible that the problems are related to chronic inflammation caused by COVID-19.
"Inflammation is extremely dangerous for both the mother and the developing fetus. Chronic inflammation is now a struggle for the survival of the mother and fetus, and in every fight, they pay a price," said Mor, who leads a Research laboratory at Wayne State University that studies the immune system during pregnancy and the impact of pathogens.
"We need to do everything in our power to prevent chronic inflammation."
The other study was peer-reviewed and published Sunday in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.
This research analyzed the impact that covid-19 had on women in the third trimester of their pregnancies.
Scientists reviewed the records of more than 2,400 women at a hospital in Israel between March and September last year and noted significant health differences between women who had COVID-19 and those who did not.
Of the COVID-19 positive patients, 67% were asymptomatic.
Women with symptomatic COVID-19 had more problems, Dr. Elior Eliasi of the Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center and colleagues found.
They had higher rates of gestational diabetes, a lower white blood cell count, and experienced heavier bleeding during delivery.
Their babies also experienced more breathing problems.
The increased risk of problems was nearly 20% higher for women who had symptoms of COVID-19 and 14% higher for people with asymptomatic COVID-19.
Unlike other research, this study did not find that symptomatic women were significantly more likely to deliver early.
The study has limitations in that it only looked at women in one hospital, so its findings may not be true for all pregnant people.
These new studies add to a growing body of evidence that Covid-19, particularly symptomatic Covid-19, is a real threat to people who are pregnant and provides further evidence that the risks of Covid-19 far outweigh the risks of getting vaccinated for pregnant women, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, who did not work on this study.
Should pregnant women get vaccinated against covid-19?
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Only a third of people who are pregnant are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Vaccines can protect pregnant women from contracting COVID-19, and if they have a significant case, a vaccinated person is much more likely to have mild symptoms, if any.
The protection that comes from a vaccine is also passed on to the newborn.
"These studies fit into a general pattern emerging from what we've seen with other research," said Jamieson, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine and a member of the Covid-19 think tank at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Covid has an impact on pregnancies and can cause serious illness in pregnant people and their babies, this is clear."
Jamieson said it's important for doctors to urge their pregnant patients to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Initially, the CDC guidance said that women could get the vaccine, but did not recommend it. This is because the initial vaccine studies did not intentionally include pregnant women, although there were women who became pregnant during the studies. After further investigation, the CDC sent out an urgent request in September strongly recommending that pregnant women get vaccinated immediately.
"I know pregnant people can be reluctant to take medicine or get vaccinations during their pregnancy and they really want to do everything they can to protect their baby and make sacrifices in pregnancies, but I think that needs to be balanced against the risks of not getting vaccinated," Jamieson said.
"It is important that all people get vaccinated, but in particular that pregnant women get vaccinated to protect themselves and their babies."
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