A recent study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology has revealed that nearly 1 in 10 people who contract the coronavirus during pregnancy experience long covid—a condition characterized by persistent symptoms long after the initial infection has resolved.
Conducted as part of the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER Initiative, the study underscores the heightened risk of long covid among pregnant individuals compared to the general population. Long covid, which manifests in a range of persistent symptoms, poses particular challenges for pregnant individuals, who are already considered vulnerable.
Lead author Torri Metz, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at University of Utah Health, expressed surprise at the prevalence of long covid in this demographic, emphasizing the need for heightened awareness among healthcare providers.
The study, which involved 1,500 participants predominantly in their 30s, evaluated individuals infected with the coronavirus during pregnancy. Half of the participants were fully vaccinated at enrollment. Researchers monitored long covid symptoms in these individuals 10 months post-infection, identifying common complaints such as malaise, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues—symptoms that persisted independently of pregnancy-related conditions.
Cynthia Abraham, an associate professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted the study’s importance in highlighting the risks associated with respiratory illnesses during pregnancy, an area historically underexplored in medical research.
The findings emphasize the necessity of ongoing care for pregnant individuals post-infection, particularly for those experiencing chronic conditions like long covid. This ongoing care is crucial to managing potential long-term health impacts and ensuring appropriate follow-up care.
The Biden administration’s recent commitment of $515 million over four years to research long covid underscores the growing recognition of its significance, though specific allocations for pregnancy-related studies remain unspecified. The RECOVER Initiative, which has already enrolled over 30,000 participants including pregnant individuals, aims to deepen understanding of covid’s impact on maternal health and fetal development.
Monica Longo, an OB/GYN researcher with NIH’s RECOVER team, stressed the critical nature of studying covid’s effects on pregnancy, noting its potential implications for fetal development and long-term outcomes.
Future research will likely explore these implications further, seeking to better understand how covid exposure during pregnancy influences developmental trajectories and health outcomes for both mother and child.
