A new study suggests that almost 1 in 10 women infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy will go on to develop long COVID. The study was published yesterday in Obstetrics & Gynecology and adds to evidence showing COVID-19 infection posing unique risks to pregnant women.
Prior research has shown that pregnant women infected with the virus are more likely to suffer hospitalization and death compared to non-pregnant controls. COVID in pregnancy also leads to a higher risk of stillbirth and preterm birth.
The authors say this is the first study to look at the relationship between prenatal infection and long COVID, conducted as part of the National Institutes for Health RECOVER project, the largest US-based study on long COVID.
Most had prenatal infection during Omicron
The study looked at outcomes among 1,502 US women in the United States from December 2021 to September 2023 who had been sick with COVID for the first time while pregnant, and assessed self-reported long COVID symptoms at least 6 months after infection.
Over half, 61% of participants, had their first infection after December 2021, when the Omicron variant was dominant, and 51.4% were fully vaccinated before infection.
The prevalence of long COVID was 9.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.9% to 10.9%) at a median of 10 months after first infection.
According to the study authors, the most common long-COVID symptoms reported were postexertional malaise (77.7%), fatigue (76.3%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (61.2%).
Obesity, mental health increase risk of long COVID
Several factors before pregnancy were linked to an increased likelihood of developing long COVID, most notably obesity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.65; 95% CI, 1.12 to 2.43), a history of anxiety or depression (aOR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.79 to 3.88), and treatment with oxygen during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (aOR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.00 to 3.44).
"It was surprising to me that the prevalence was that high," said Torri Metz, MD, vice chair of research of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Utah Health, who co-led the nationwide study in a press release from the University of Utah. "This is something that does continue to affect otherwise reasonably healthy and young populations."
This is something that does continue to affect otherwise reasonably healthy and young populations
Many otherwise healthy women experience a host of symptoms that can mimic long COVID in pregnancy and early postpartum, making diagnosis difficult, Metz said.
"We need to have this on our radar as we're seeing patients. It's something we really don't want to miss. And we want to get people referred to appropriate specialists who treat long COVID," she said.
