Most pregnant women with COVID-19 don’t have symptoms
According to a recent study, most pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 are asymptomatic.
Are you pregnant and have tested positive for Covid-19? The good news is you will likely not experience severe symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “among 598 hospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19, 55% were asymptomatic at admission.” Amongst the 130 pregnant women admitted at the Elmhurst hospital in Queens, New York, one-third of them were asymptomatic. This research was published in the PLOS One journal. The 72% that tested positive did not show any symptoms, mostly because testing was limited to symptomatic patients.
According to a different journal, pregnant women did not experience any negative outcomes, even after testing positive for the coronavirus. However, all cases of Covid-19 differ. Some pregnant women may experience severe symptoms, and extreme cases have led to hospitalisation, including intensive care. Some have ended in death.
The CDC study shows that 16.2% of the admitted pregnant women were admitted to intensive care, while 8.5% needed invasive mechanical ventilation. According to study author, Dr. Sheela Maru from the Mount Sinai hospital in the US, “in future epidemics, it may be prudent to look at labour and delivery screening numbers much earlier on, as pregnant women continue to seek essential care despite social-distancing measures and also represent the generally young and healthy community population.”
This means that this group of women was not a focus during the pandemic. The virus was only picked up when they were admitted for delivery or other pregnancy-related issues.
Common COVID-19 symptoms to look out for:
- Fever
- Dry cough
- Tiredness
- Chills
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Loss of smell or taste
- Muscle aches and pains
More extreme symptoms may include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Chest pain or pressure
- Loss of speech or movement
