A recent study led by researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Utah Health, and the Louisiana Public Health Institute suggests that pregnancy may reduce the risk of developing Long COVID. The findings, published on April 1 in Nature Communications, examine the impact of pregnancy on women infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Long COVID, where symptoms persist after recovering from COVID-19, has been widely studied in non-pregnant adults. However, limited research has been done on pregnant women. This study aims to fill that gap.
“We had no evidence about the risk of Long COVID in pregnant women,” said Chengxi Zang, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine. “We hope this data helps clinicians develop better strategies for pregnant women at risk.”
Pregnant Women Less Likely to Develop Long COVID
Researchers analyzed data from two large health record-based studies, PCORnet and N3C, examining about 72,000 pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and June 2023. They compared these women to roughly 208,000 non-pregnant women.
The study found that pregnant women were less likely to develop Long COVID. In one dataset, 16 out of 100 pregnant women experienced Long COVID symptoms, compared to 19 out of 100 non-pregnant women. A similar trend was seen in the second dataset.
Higher-Risk Groups Among Pregnant Women
Some pregnant women, particularly those who are Black, aged 35 or older, or have obesity or metabolic conditions, faced a higher risk of Long COVID. However, their risk remained lower than that of non-pregnant women.
Zang emphasized the need for further research on factors like healthcare access and socioeconomic conditions to protect these vulnerable groups.
Possible Reasons for Reduced Risk
The study suggests that immune and inflammatory changes during and after pregnancy may contribute to the reduced risk of Long COVID. Future studies will explore how infection in different trimesters affects the risk and whether existing medications can help reduce Long COVID in pregnant women.
This research highlights pregnancy’s potential protective role against Long COVID, offering hope for better care and prevention strategies for affected pregnant women.
Related topics:
