COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and risk of early and late spontaneous miscarriages: A matched case–control population-based study

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 during the first trimester on the rate of first- and second-trimester miscarriages. Secondary aims include the effect on stillbirths and the correlation between symptom severity and pregnancy outcomes. Methods: A retrospective matched case–control population-based study extracted data from electronic medical records of a nationwide database of the second largest healthcare organization that provides medical services to over 2 000 000 patients in Israel. Pregnancy outcomes in COVID-19-positive pregnant patients in 2020 were compared with an age- and gestational-week-matched 1:2 case–control cohort of pre-pandemic pregnant patients that received medical care in 2019. Results: Of 68 485 pregnant women treated in 2020, 2333 were COVID-19-positive during pregnancy: 215 during the first trimester, 791 during the second trimester, and 1327 during the third trimester. We compared these data with the control cohort of 4580 pre-pandemic pregnant patients. The rate of spontaneous miscarriage was significantly higher 146/2187 (6.3%) in COVID-19-positive patients versus 214/4580 (4.7%), (P < 0.01, odds ratio 1.34, 95% confidence interval 1.094–1.691). Most miscarriages occurred during the first trimester in both groups, yet the rates were significantly higher in the study group (5.4% vs 3.8%, P < 0.01). There was no association between COVID-19 severity and miscarriage risk. Conclusion: COVID-19 diagnosis during early pregnancy increased the rate of spontaneous miscarriage in our cohort compared with an age- and gestational-week-matched pre-pandemic control group.