Coronavirus disease 2019 and pregnancy

Historically, viral respiratory infections in pregnant women have shown an increase in the risk of morbidity and mortality. With regards to COVID-19, information is limited and a greater risk of severe morbidity or mortality has not been shown, when compared to general population; however, pregnant women with comorbidities such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension have shown a greater severity of the disease, consistent with the general population with these comorbidities. The risk of vertical transmission appears to be low: it has not been demonstrated in any case during the current outbreak of COVID-19 in China, nor in previous epidemics of similar coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). Existing studies have not demonstrated the presence of the virus in genital fluid, amniotic fluid or maternal milk. Described cases of infection in newborns probably come from horizontal transmission, which suggests breastfeeding with respiratory hygiene measures. Given that COVID-19 is a new disease that has extended around the world and that current knowledge is still insufficient, it is mandatory the continued accumulation of data to discover in depth the action mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the disease, and constant update of means of prevention and handling of the disease.