Physiological and psychological stress responses to labor and delivery during COVID-19 pandemic: a cohort study

To evaluate objective (saliva cortisol) and subjective (questionnaire) stress levels during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic compared to before the pandemic and their effects on obstetric and neonatal outcomes. This cohort study included 36 women with low-risk, singleton, term deliveries...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology 2022-10, Vol.43 (4), p.441-446
Main Authors: Asali, Aula, Farladansky-Gershnabel, Sivan, Hasky, Noa, Elbaz, Michal, Fishman, Ami, Ravid, Dorit, Wiser, Amir, Biron-Shental, Tal, Berkovitz, Arie, Miller, Netanella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cohort Studies
Cortisol concentration
COVID-19
COVID-19 pandemic
Delivery, Obstetric
Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Infant, Newborn
labor
Pandemics
Pregnancy
stress
Stress, Psychological - psychology
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Summary:To evaluate objective (saliva cortisol) and subjective (questionnaire) stress levels during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic compared to before the pandemic and their effects on obstetric and neonatal outcomes. This cohort study included 36 women with low-risk, singleton, term deliveries at a tertiary academic center during the COVID-19 pandemic and 49 who delivered before. Physiological stress was evaluated with salivary cortisol measurements, and emotional stress with stress scale questionnaires (0-10) during active and full dilation stages of labor, and 2-min postpartum. Cord blood cortisol and pH were obtained. Delivery mode, complications, and neonatal outcomes were evaluated. Psychological stress was higher for the COVID-19 group compared to controls during full dilation (6.2 ± 3.4 vs. 4.2 ± 3, p = .009). The COVID-19 group had significantly lower cord cortisol levels (7.3  vs. 13.6 mcg/dl, p  = .001). No differences were found regarding salivary cortisol level assessments at active, full dilation and 2-min post-delivery (p  = .584, p  = .254, p  = .829, respectively). No differences were found regarding pH 
ISSN:0167-482X
1743-8942
DOI:10.1080/0167482X.2022.2030308