The Unforeseen Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dismal Pregnancy and Fetal Outcomes

Abstract

India noticed a surge in maternal mortality and stillbirth rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. This rise in mortality is not always due to viral infection by COVID-19 but is probably contributed by other determinants. We present a case of maternal mortality with stillbirth in a multigravida, at 41 weeks' gestation, with bronchial asthma, severe preeclampsia, fetal bradycardia, severe symptoms of flu infection, and a previous cesarean delivery. She delivered a stillborn baby by emergency cesarean delivery and due to adverse obstetric consequences, she succumbed. Disruption of the overwhelmed healthcare system to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unsupervised pregnancy, unprecedented delays in reaching the hospital, delays in receiving proper care, and suboptimal care due to difficulty in differentiating actual severe preeclampsia from COVID-19-induced preeclampsia-like syndrome have resulted in preventable maternal mortality and stillbirth.