SARS-COV-2 infection and pregnancy outcome: a cross-sectional study from eastern U.P. population, India

Background: Pregnant individuals diagnosed with coronavirus infection face an increased susceptibility to severe illnesses. Aim & Objective: In this study, we assessed and contrasted the clinical features and pregnancy outcomes between women without SARS-CoV-2 infection and those with the viral infection. Material & Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, where the pregnant females were examined, their blood samples were taken for COVID Panel (D-Dimer, Ferritin, IL-6, CRP, PCT (Procalcitonin)); and oral-nasal swabs were taken for testing the SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Both SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative (control) females were followed up every trimester for any complication related to pregnancy. Results: We found that females suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection had reduced gestation periods, and had higher percentage of caesarean and pre-term delivery than SARS-CoV-2 negative females. Conclusion: Based on our findings, it appears that there exist close associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant females and increased risk of reduced gestation periods, and spontaneous caesarean and pre-term delivery. However, more studies are still needed to validate the present findings.