Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of stillbirth. 

Risk for Stillbirth Among Women With and Without COVID-19 

pregnant vaccination



This is according to a new study released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

The findings reinforce the evidence that pregnant women should be vaccinated to avoid COVID-19. 

Research conducted by the CDC compared the birth rates of stillbirths in pregnant women infected with COVID-19 and pregnant women who survived the disease between March 2020 and September 2021. 

The results showed that the birth rate of stillbirths in pregnant women infected with COVID was 1.26% while in the other group it was 0.65%. 

Between March 2020 and September 2021, 1.2 million babies were born in 736 hospitals across the United States. 

Of these, 21,653 deliveries were made to women affected by COVID-19, accounting for 1.73% of the total. 

The study found that the risk of stillbirth outweighed the rapid spread of Corona-type Delta in the United States from July 2021. 

Summary


What is already known about this topic?

Pregnant women are at increased risk for severe disease from
COVID-19, and COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk for adverse perinatal outcomes.


What is added by this report?

Among 1,249,634 delivery hospitalizations during March
2020–September 2021, U.S. women with COVID-19 were at increased risk for
stillbirth compared with women without COVID-19 (adjusted relative risk
[aRR] = 1.90; 95% CI = 1.69–2.15). The magnitude of association was higher during the period of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant predominance than during the pre-Delta period.


What are the implications for public health practice?

Implementing evidence-based COVID-19 prevention strategies,
including vaccination before or during pregnancy, is critical to reducing the impact of COVID-19 on stillbirths.


Between July and September, the birth rate among infected women was 2.7 percent, compared with 0.63 percent among pregnant women protected from COVID. 

Before the outbreak of Delta, the stillbirth rate was 0.98% in pregnant women experiencing COVID and 0.64% in healthy women. 

The study found that pregnant women who became ill with cod had a lower risk of stillbirth, but that cod had a 0.59 percent higher rate than pre-epidemic women. 

The study did not examine the effects of vaccination, but the CDC said that 30% of pregnant women had been vaccinated since July and that the vaccine’s effectiveness indicates that most pregnant women infected with COVID-19 are more likely to be vaccinated. Some were not vaccinated. 

According to research, vaccination before or during pregnancy is essential to reduce the risk of stillbirths in children with COVID-19.