A comprehensive California study shows pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 faced a 60% higher risk of very preterm birth and elevated chances of preterm delivery.
Should pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19? In France, vaccination has been recommended from the second trimester since last April. While concerns about potential effects on maternal and fetal health persist, evidence mounts that pregnant women face heightened risks from the virus itself.
Recent UK analysis of pregnant women with COVID-19 highlighted severe disease risks, particularly with the Delta variant. "Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and your baby from COVID-19—it's as simple as that," stated the director of the Royal College of Midwives in a press release.
A landmark study published in Lancet Regional Health — Americas bolsters the case for vaccination among pregnant women.
Led by epidemiologist Deborah Karasek at the University of California, San Francisco, researchers examined records of all 204,157 births in California from July 2020 to January 2021.
Births were categorized as: very preterm (before 32 weeks), preterm (32-37 weeks), early term (37-38 weeks), and full term (39-44 weeks).
Women reporting COVID-19 on birth certificates had a 60% increased risk of very preterm birth versus uninfected women. Many also had comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Risks rose 40% for preterm births and 10% for early term births.
Dr. Karasek notes the alarming rise in very preterm births, which carry the greatest risks of infant complications and mortality.
Limitations include reliance on birth certificate data, lacking infection timing or severity details. Still, "probably not all were severe cases," Dr. Karasek explains. "This suggests a link to preterm birth even with mild or asymptomatic infections."
The study predates widespread vaccination, but Dr. Karasek urges immunization: "Vaccination is a key tool to curb COVID-19 infections and severity, potentially reducing preterm birth risks."
