Pregnancy and delivery outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary center

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to document the clinical and laboratory characteristics and maternal and delivery outcomes of pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed pregnant women who had been admitted either with symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 or for delivery from March 2020 to January 2023. The participants were evaluated in two cohorts: the initial cohort included all pregnant women hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019, and the final cohort included those who delivered under the circumstances of coronavirus disease 2019. RESULTS: The initial cohort included 295 pregnant women with symptomless (n=124, 42%), mild (n=122, 41.4%), moderate (n=18, 6.1%), and severe (n=31, 10.5%) coronavirus disease 2019. Among comorbidities, hypothyroidism (n=40, 13.6%) had the highest share. The most frequent laboratory abnormality was elevated D-dimer levels (94.6%). The final cohort included 193 women. Eight patients (4.1%) required intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Mortality occurred in five patients (2.6%). Out of 121 cesarean section (SC) deliveries, 61.2% were on an emergency basis. Rates of preterm, low birth weight, and stillbirth were 18.7%, 14.5%, and 3.1%, respectively. Moderate-severe coronavirus disease 2019 showed significant inverse correlations with delivery week, birth weight, and APGAR scores at 1 and 5 min (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 experienced maternal and delivery complications, particularly preterm and low birth weight. Hypothyroidism had a notable share among comorbidities.