Covid-19 and pregnancy: the experience of a tertiary maternity hospital

The aim of our study is to present the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in pregnancy and evaluate its impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all COVID-19 positive pregnant women who were admitted to "Alexandra" maternity hospital from March to December 2020 (n=40). The infection status was determined via real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal swab specimen. We documented the demographic features, clinical status, pregnancy characteristics and maternal and fetal outcomes.

Forty COVID-19 positive pregnant women were admitted to our clinic during the study period. Mean maternal age was 27.6 years. Gestational age (GA) ranged from 10-42 weeks of pregnancy with mean GA calculated at 38⁺³ weeks. Associated comorbidities included hypertension, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, hepatitis B and asthma. Thirty-five out of 40 women delivered within the study period. Cesarean section was performed in 57.1% of the cases. Most of the cases (87.5%) were asymptomatic while ventilation was required for only one patient. All neonates tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Neither maternal nor neonatal deaths occurred.

In alignment to other studies, our data show that the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy in the majority of cases is mild and neonatal outcomes also appear favorable.