COVID-19, a virus that swallowed millions of people has shown a distinctively long-term effect on pregnant women, according to a recent study presented by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM). Women’s healthcare section has always been one of the least studied departments in medicine, making it more daunting.
At the 42nd Annual Pregnancy Meeting, researchers shared a study revealing that about 1 in 10 pregnant individuals who contract COVID may experience long-lasting symptoms, known as long COVID.
The study tracked 1,503 pregnant individuals from various states of America who had COVID, aiming to understand the risk factors for long COVID. The participants were part of the NIH RECOVER Initiative, investigating COVID’s long-term effects.
Of those studied, 51% were fully vaccinated, with an average age of 32 at infection. Factors like pre-existing conditions, socio-economic status, and COVID severity during pregnancy were examined.
Results showed that 9.3% developed long COVID along with experiencing fatigue, dizziness, and post-exertional malaise. The study suggests women struggling with obesity, depression, anxiety, and financial difficulties, were at higher risk. Severe COVID cases requiring oxygen also increased long COVID risk.
Comparing to non-pregnant adults, pregnant individuals seemed to have lower long COVID rates, prompting further investigation. Torri D. Metz, the study’s lead author said, “The trimester of infection was not associated with the development of long COVID, so it did not seem to matter when in their pregnancy people were infected.”
Researchers stress the need to study the long-term effects on infants born to mothers with long COVID, a step already underway.
