COVID-19 and Pregnancy

       COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide.
There are growing concerns regarding COVID in different groups of people.
Pregnant women and their families have a number of questions regarding covid-19.
Are pregnant women at risk of developing coronavirus? Is the most commonly asked
question. The answer to this question is that there is no evidence that
pregnant women are at risk of seriously getting infected with the coronavirus. For
safety purposes, pregnant women are included in the list of people with moderate
risk. Until now it is known that COVID has no effect on the development of the baby. It means COVID is not teratogenic according to present evidence. Pregnant
women who got COVID positive are also not at risk of miscarriage. Pregnant
women with COVID-19 infection maybe may have mild symptoms or can be
asymptomatic. Pregnant women who are older, obese, and have underlying medical
conditions such as hypertension and diabetes seem to have an increased risk of
developing severe COVID-19.

       Can coronavirus be transmitted from mother to fetus? is also
one of the most commonly asked questions. It is still not known whether
pregnant women can transmit coronavirus to their fetuses or not!  Some newborn babies got affected by Coronavirus
but it is not sure from where they got affected either from their mother or due
to contact with an affected person.  Mostly
mild or no symptoms were seen in newborns who tested positive for the virus and
they got recovered quickly. Up till now, the coronavirus virus has not been
found in samples of fluid around the baby (amniotic) in the womb or breast milk.

Pregnant women should follow the same Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP’s) as other people do. They should:

ü 
Wear a mask

ü 
Wash hand regularly or sanitize them with 60%
alcohol sanitizer.

ü 
Maintain a distance of 6 feet from other people.

By following SOP’s we can prevent ourselves and our loved
ones from catching the coronavirus!