Association between COVID-19 Infection and Miscarriages, What We Really Know?

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Obstetrics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding its impact on pregnancy outcomes.
• The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is implicated in SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and has roles in reproductive physiology.
• Existing research presents conflicting evidence on the association between COVID-19 and early pregnancy loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of COVID-19 infection on miscarriage incidence.
• To identify potential pathophysiological mechanisms linking COVID-19 to early pregnancy loss.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was performed across multiple scientific databases.
• Searches covered articles published between January 2020 and August 2023.
• 32 relevant articles were selected from an initial pool of 364 identified studies.

Main Results:

• Some case studies suggest a link between COVID-19 and early pregnancy loss.
• However, most systematic reviews and meta-analyses indicate no significant difference in miscarriage rates between infected and non-infected individuals.
• Case reports also mention associations between COVID-19 and late second-trimester abortions.

Conclusions:

• Further research is crucial to understand the reproductive risks associated with persistent global COVID-19 circulation.
• Larger, more homogeneous, and controlled studies are needed to generate robust data.
• Meta-analysis of high-quality studies is required to clarify the relationship between COVID-19 and pregnancy loss.