COVID-19 mortality among pregnant women in Mexico: A retrospective cohort study

Pregnant women have been classified as at risk for COVID-19 due to previous experience with influenza and other coronaviruses. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for the complications and death in women of childbearing age and pregnant women with suspected COVID-19.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted from the beginning of the epidemic in Mexico until May 25, 2020. All women of childbearing age (13-49 years) from the open national COVID-19 database from the Ministry of Health of Mexico were considered for eligibility. SARS-COV-2 infection was confirmed or ruled out by RT-qPCR. We performed a bivariate and multivariable analysis to estimate mortality risk.

Ten (2.2%) pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19 died. Positive pregnant patients did not have a higher risk of complications (admission to the ICU, pneumonia, or requirement for mechanical ventilation) or death than the controls. In the multivariate analysis, only history of diabetes and chronic kidney disease remained independently associated with death in the positive cohort. Seven (0.6%) pregnant women with a negative test died. In bivariate analysis, pregnant patients with a positive test had a higher risk of death than pregnant patients with a negative test (relative risk (RR) = 3.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.48-10.12), but no higher risk was found than in non-pregnant women with a positive test (RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.44-1.53), and 60-day mortality did not significantly differ among pregnant patients with or without a positive test (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.12-1.30) or between COVID-19-positive patients who were pregnant or not pregnant (HR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.35-1.56).

Pregnant patients do not have a greater risk of complications or death from COVID-19 than non-pregnant patients. The presence of diabetes mellitus and chronic disease increases the risk of death in women of childbearing age, but not specifically in pregnant patients.