Preterm births dropped during lockdowns, studies show. But not for women with COVID-19
Much to researchers’ surprise, premature births have consistently dropped throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The reasons behind the trend remain unknown, but it’s a positive pattern that suggests there might be something about lockdowns and COVID-19 preventive measures that’s preventing them.
At the same time, evidence shows that women battling coronavirus during pregnancy have a 25% higher risk of premature birth than healthy women, McClatchy News reported in September.
On World Prematurity Day, which lands on Nov. 17 this year, the World Health Organization says it’s a time to raise awareness about the serious health crisis that affects 15 million babies worldwide and is the leading cause of death in children under 5.
Preterm birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy have been completed. Premature birth rates decreased in the U.S. from 2007 to 2014, partly because of declines in teen and young mother births, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
But the last five years have seen a rise in preterm birth rates, which have also been found to disproportionately affect Black women. Now, coronavirus preventive measures are twisting longtime trends in the opposite direction.
A study of 31,000 newborns in Denmark found that premature birth rates dropped by about 90% during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown when compared to the same period (between March 12 and April 14) from the previous five years.
A separate study from Ireland discovered a 73% reduction in preterm births from January to April (the country’s lockdown started in March, but preventive measures were pushed in February) this year compared to the same period in the last 19 years.
Another paper published in October in the Lancet found similar “consistent reductions” in premature births during COVID-19 lockdowns in the Netherlands.
“Exploration of the possible link between national lockdown measures and a decrease in preterm births is needed, and if confirmed, so is identification of the underlying mechanisms to inform and optimize future approaches to prevent preterm birth from devastating families’ lives,” researchers from the Netherlands study said.
The Royal College of Midwives in England said in July that some of the possible causes behind drops in preterm birth rates during the pandemic include reduced air pollution, fewer traffic accidents, increased rest for mothers while staying at home and reduced chances of getting infected with viruses or bacteria.
However, there are other aspects of lockdowns that are known to increase risk factors for premature birth such as rises in domestic abuse and increased stress and anxiety for some women.
Babies born too early can face long-term health problems, the CDC says. That’s because the final months and weeks in the womb include the last stages of development for the brain, lungs and liver. Babies that survive can be left with breathing problems, feeding difficulties, cerebral palsy and vision and hearing problems.
Pregnant women face several risks during the pandemic
As more data is collected, researchers realize women with COVID-19 face higher risks of giving birth too early. A study of 598 pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 found that of 445 live births, 12.6% were premature. About 23% occurred in women who had coronavirus symptoms and 8% occurred in women without symptoms.
Pregnant women themselves face disturbing risks, too. An analysis of more than 400,000 women who are between 15 and 44 years old and diagnosed with COVID-19 revealed that those who were pregnant had a 70% increased risk of dying compared to those who were not, McClatchy News reported this month.
Invasive ventilation, intensive care unit admission and ECMO were also more common among pregnant than non-pregnant women. ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. It’s a procedure that removes blood from your body, runs it through a machine that clears it of carbon dioxide and inserts oxygen-rich blood back into the body.
And pregnant women’s mental health is just as likely to suffer some blows, experts have found.
Eleven hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties in California have seen cases of postpartum depression rise by 15% to 20% during the pandemic, ABC7 reported.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Preterm births dropped during lockdowns, studies show. But not for women with COVID-19."
