Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes of Healthy Pregnant Women With COVID-19 Versus High-risk Pregnant Women: A Multi-Center Case-Control Comparison Study

Abstract

The purpose of this retrospective, matched case-control study (two controls [healthy control and high- risk control] vs. COVID-19 cases) was to compare the maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with and without COVID-19. A total of 261 pregnant women from three different countries with and without COVID-19 were included in this study. Several pregnancy complications were more common in high-risk pregnant women compared to COVID-19 cases and healthy pregnant women. These include preeclampsia (p < .01), vaginal bleeding (p < .05), preterm labor (p < .05), premature rupture of membrane (p < .01), requiring induction of labor (p < .05), have lower gestational age on delivery (F (2) = 3.1, p < .05), requiring cesarean section (p < .01), neonatal admission in the NICU (p < .01), and low neonatal Apgar score (p < .01). Nurses are advised to provide equal attention to pregnant women with underlying health issues and to pregnant women infected with COVID-19 in terms of the risk assessment, health care, and follow-up for optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes.