Covıd-19 and Pregnancy: Single Center Experience With 167 Pregnancies

Purpose: To describe prevalence, presenting symptoms and severity of COVID infection in our pregnant population. To determine the association between COVID infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preclampsia and preterm birth. To discuss the effect of the disease on cesarean section rates.  Methodology: This study included retrospective analysis of 167 pregnancies complicated with COVID infection in a single center between March 2020 and April 2022. Findings: Prevalence of COVID infection was 18,1% (167/925) in our population. Most common presenting symptom was fever with a rate of 61,1% (102 of 167 pregnancies). Second most common symptom was cough with a rate of 52,7% (88 of 167 pregnancies). Three patients have been hospitalized for severe infection (1.8%). None of these patients required admission to the intensive care unit or mechanical ventilation. Eight patients delivered before 37 weeks of pregnancy resulting in a preterm rate of 4,8%. None of these 167 pregnancies were complicated with preclampsia. Forty-two of the 167 deliveries were performed by vaginal route, resulting in a cesarean section rate of 74,9%. This rate varied between 35 to 50% during years in our center before pandemics.   Recommendation: Our findings do not match with previously published data, and reveal a more benign course during pregnancy. These results are expected to decrease the anxiety of pregnant women diagnosed with COVID and shed light to management of future infections.