The Effects of COVID-19 on Pregnancy Outcomes, as well as the Impact on Fetuses and Newborns: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Pregnant women, fetuses, and newborns are at a higher risk of exposure to infectious diseases during outbreaks compared to other populations. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes, as well as the impact on fetuses and newborns in Kurdistan, Iran. The study will cover the period from February 2020 to January 2021. Methods: We conducted a study in Kurdistan province on 201 pregnant women who were infected with the COVID-19. We gathered relevant information from patients' files using a checklist. We used SPSS software version 21 to calculate the mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables and frequency and percentage for qualitative variables. Results: The study found that patients had various symptoms including fever, cough, diarrhea, and more. 70% of mothers had fever and cough, while 54% had fever, cough, and myalgia. Positive results were found in CT and PCR tests. Some mothers were hospitalized in the ICU, and there were cases of maternal and infant deaths. Apgar scores were taken with most samples having scores of seven or above at one and five minutes after birth. Conclusion: Pregnant women are unlikely to pass COVID-19 to their fetus during pregnancy or childbirth. If infected at the end of pregnancy, both mother and newborn seem to have appropriate health outcomes, but individual differences may occur. Pregnant women have the same risk of contracting COVID-19 as non-pregnant individuals.