Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Pregnant Women With and Without COVID-19: A Comparative Study From Bangladesh

• Published in: Journal of preventive medicine and public health 2021, 54(6), , pp.422-430
• Main Authors: Binte Masud, Sumaya, Zebeen, Faiza, Alam, Dil Ware, Hossian, Mosharap, Zaman, Sanjana, Begum, Rowshan Ara, Nabi, Mohammad Hayatun, Hawlader, Mohammad Delwer Hossain
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: bangladesh; Bangladesh - epidemiology; Cesarean Section; communicable diseases; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Original; Parturition; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; pregnancy outcome; Pregnant Women; Premature Birth - epidemiology; preterm birth; SARS-CoV-2; 예방의학
• ISSN: 1975-8375; 2233-4521
• DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.21.432

Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to respiratory infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but insufficient research has investigated pregnancy and its outcomes in women with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study compared birth outcomes related to COVID-19 between Bangladeshi pregnant women with and without COVID-19. The study was conducted at 3 tertiary referral hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from March to August 2020. Pregnant women admitted for delivery at these hospitals with laboratory results (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) were analyzed. Using convenience sampling, we included 70 COVID-19-positive and 140 COVID-19-negative pregnant women. Trained and experienced midwives conducted the interviews. Data were analyzed using the t-test, the chi-square test, and univariate and multivariable linear and logistic regression. Pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to give birth to a preterm baby (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 4.37) and undergo a cesarean section (aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.51 to 7.07). There were no significant differences in birth weight, premature rupture of membranes, and the Apgar score at 1 minute or 5 minutes post-delivery between women with and without COVID-19. All the newborn babies who were born to COVID-19-positive women were COVID-19-negative. Our study suggests that pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to give birth to a preterm baby and undergo a cesarean section. For this reason, physicians should be particularly cautious to minimize adverse birth outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborn babies.