Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pregnancy: a systematic review

Objective: To summarize currently available evidence on maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Material and methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, and CBMdisc were searched for studies reporting maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes of women infected with COVID-19 published from 1 January 2020 to 26 March 2020. The protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/34ZAV). Results: In total, 18 studies comprising 114 pregnant women were included in the review. Fever (87.5%) and cough (53.8%) were the most commonly reported symptoms, followed by fatigue (22.5%), diarrhea (8.8%), dyspnea (11.3%), sore throat (7.5%), and myalgia (16.3%). The majority of patients (91%) had cesarean delivery due to various indications. In terms of fetal and neonatal outcomes, stillbirth (1.2%), neonatal death (1.2%), preterm birth (21.3%), low birth weight (<2500 g, 5.3%), fetal distress (10.7%), and neonatal asphyxia (1.2%) were reported. There are reports of neonatal infection, but no direct evidence of intrauterine vertical transmission has been found. Conclusions: The clinical characteristics of pregnant women with COVID-19 are similar to those of non-pregnant adults. Fetal and neonatal outcomes appear good in most cases, but available data only include pregnant women infected in their third trimesters. Further studies are needed to ascertain long-term outcomes and potential intrauterine vertical transmission.

Automated summary

This article summarizes the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women. The study found that pregnant women mainly exhibited symptoms such as fever, cough, and muscle aches during the infection. Most pregnant women opted for cesarean delivery, and the fetal and neonatal outcomes were mostly good. However, the current data only includes pregnant women infected in their third trimesters. Further research is needed to determine the potential for intrauterine vertical transmission and long-term outcomes.