Saswati Sarkar
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Saswati Sarkar | Updated : August 25, 2020 9:35 AM IST
Worried about contracting the COVID-19 infection? Talk to your obstetrician about reducing the frequency of prenatal visits.
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus, has kept us groping for too many answers. Starting from vaccines and treatments, symptoms and manifestations to the way it affects different subsets of the population, there are innumerable loose ends to deal with. One such area, where experts haven't been able to reach a conclusive opinion yet is how the novel coronavirus affects pregnant women. Can a mother pass on the virus to the child in the womb? Evidences so far suggest that mother to child transmission is very rare.
According to some data, 15000 pregnant women caught the COVID-19 infection since March. However, instances of this infection among newborns were found only in 1 per cent of the cases. Moreover, doctors aren't sure if the transmission happened in the womb or it was a hospital acquired infection. However, a recent study, carried out jointly by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) at Parel and Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) hints at the possibility of COVID-19 infection being passed on to the newborn from infected mothers.
The findings of this study, conducted by an 8-member team, suggests that the novel coronavirus can infect the placenta of a pregnant woman. The function of placenta, an organ developed during pregnancy, is to supply oxygen and nutrients to the foetus (growing baby) and protecting it from infections. Though this study offers a new perspective to the possibility of mother-child-transmission of the COVID-19 infection, further studies are required to reach a conclusive opinion, say researchers.
The novel coronavirus needs some entry points to sneak into the human body. ACE2 receptors, proteins found on the surface of cells, are the entry points that this virus depends on, for making way to the human body. Researchers of the above-mentioned study found these receptors in the placenta too. They also discovered the presence of another coronavirus entry point in the placenta: BSG or CD147. In addition to these receptors, certain enzymes also help the novel coronavirus enter our body. They are also present in the placenta. All these factors combine together to increase the susceptibility of this organ to the COVID-19 infection, observe the researchers.
Researchers of the ICMR study observe that after catching this virus, the placenta can spread it to the nearby areas, thanks to the presence of certain cells and enzymes. Their findings also suggest that if the novel coronavirus is able to enter the placenta, it will be able to multiply too. All these indicate that there is a chance of mother-to-child transmission of the COVID-19 infection if the placenta is affected.
Global evidences do not suggest that infection by the novel coronavirus during your pregnancy ups your risk of miscarriage. But chance of premature delivery and a few other pregnancy complications may increase, observe some studies. A report featured in the journal Endocrinology indicated that pregnancy elevates your risk of blood clots due to COVID-19. The researchers of the study have found pregnant women have a 5 times higher risk of this blood condition than women who aren't expecting.
During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnancy wasn't considered to be an increased risk for the COVID-19 infection. But a lot has changed from then to now. A recent study published in the journal Science Immunology observes that expecting women have a four times higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 infection than the general population. This is because their chance of exposure to the novel coronavirus is higher. This can be attributed to the fact that they need to go for prenatal check-ups at regular intervals.
Follow he standard safety guidelines for COVID-19 and pay special attention to hygiene. Also, talk to your obstetrician about the frequency of your prenatal visits. Check if the gap between visits can be increased. Ask, if buying certain monitoring devices and frequent teleconsultations can help reduce the necessity of physical visits.
