Previous research has established that there is an increased risk for stillbirth and preterm birth after SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy. A new study finds that the timing of infection during pregnancy matters, with early infection being a worse risk factor than late infection for the two outcomes. The study also finds that COVID vaccination may protect against the infection-related risks for stillbirth and preterm birth.
The authors of this study, one of the largest cohorts of its kind, underscored the importance of surveillance for stillbirth and preterm birth when SARS-CoV-2 infection strikes early in pregnancy. They recommend vaccination as having a crucial role in protecting against the SARS-CoV-2 infection’s excess risk for stillbirth and preterm birth.
The corresponding author is Antonella Iannaccone of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
The major limitations were the lack of an uninfected control group of pregnant women and the study’s retrospective, observational design.
Funding for the study came from the German Society of Perinatal Medicine, Krumme-Stiftung Kiel, and the German Society of Diabetes. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
