Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2022

Publication Title

Cureus

Keywords

breast milk coronavirus, corona virus, corona virus disease 2019, coronavirus vertical transmission, covid-19 pandemic, covid-19 pregnant, covid-positive, intrauterine infection, premature labor, sars-cov-2

ISSN

2168-8184

Volume

14

Issue/No.

10

First Page

e30555

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, and spread all over the world, causing the worst pandemic of the century. The disease has a broad continuum of clinical presentations, from mild to life-threatening. The virus is highly contagious and transmittable to humans. Emerging evidence of its effects on pregnant women and newborns is inconsistent and ever-evolving. Therefore, the objective of this review is to compile the scientific literature on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on pregnancy, pregnant women, and newborns. Data were obtained by several authors using PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. "COVID-19", "pregnancy", "vertical transmission", and "newborn" were the search words used to find relevant articles. Most studies suggested pregnant women and newborns are not at additional risk for unfavorable outcomes. Besides, very few studies found newborns who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 upon delivery from a COVID-positive mother. However, several studies showed no evidence of intrauterine or transplacental transmission of COVID-19 infection. Studies had mixed findings with a few showing the presence of the virus in breastmilk. In conclusion, there is no concrete evidence of additional adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 on pregnant women and newborns.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ORCID ID

0000-0003-4970-9857

DOI

10.7759/cureus.30555

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