Preterm deliveries appear to be linked to coronavirus infections, according to a new study on COVID-19 and pregnancy published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC report also tracked miscarriages and stillbirths in patients with the virus.
The researchers looked at medical data on nearly 600 hospital patients between March and mid-August who both tested positive for COVID-19 and were pregnant. Among the 445 births during the study, 12.6% of were preterm deliveries, which is more than 25% higher than the rate of preterm delivery for the general U.S. population, according to the CDC. Preterm births were three times more common in symptomatic patients than those who were asymptomatic.
Ten patients experienced either a miscarriage or stillbirth, but the report noted that the it “likely underestimates the percentage of pregnancy losses that occur among…
