It’s been well established that to . But according to new research, they’re not at a higher risk of contracting the virus than other populations.

The results of the study were recently published in . The researchers were interested in gaining new information about the rates of COVID-19 infections amongst pregnant people in order to better inform treatment and prevention options.

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During the study, the researchers analyzed 1,098 pregnant people between August 2020 to March 2021 at three locations in the United States. They followed each participant for a total of ten weeks.

The participants submitted weekly nasal swabs to the research team in order to test for coronavirus. They also filled out weekly questionnaires about their symptoms and submitted samples for further testing if they exhibited any side effects of .

After collecting data on the pregnant participants, the researchers were able to compare this to information taken from the general population regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

In total, only 9% of participants contracted coronavirus during the course of the study. The average infection lasted for around ten days. Only a minority of the cases were asymptomatic. According to , the most common symptoms that were reported include:

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  Nasal congestion (72%)
  


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  Cough (64%)
  


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  Headache (59%)
  


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  Change in taste and/or smell (54%)
  


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  Fever (28%)
  

Based on the information, the researchers concluded that the pregnant participants only had a 1% chance of contracting the virus each week.

When comparing this data to the rates of infection amongst the general population, the researchers concluded pregnant people are not at a higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19. Rather, the risk is comparable to non-pregnant people.

Simply because pregnant people aren’t at higher risk for contracting the virus doesn’t mitigate the fact that a coronavirus infection is often more severe for individuals who are expecting. Earlier this month, we reported that when lung capacity is already reduced due to pregnancy.

In the final stage of pregnancy, the uterus becomes increasingly pressed on the diaphragm, thereby limiting lung capacity. This makes it more difficult to maintain sufficient levels of oxygen saturation, thereby making potential COVID-19 infections more serious.

Medical professionals around the globe continue to encourage everyone who’s eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine, including pregnant, nursing, or postpartum people. There’s no evidence to suggest the vaccine is harmful to pregnancy or fertility, whereas the dangers of a COVID infection in pregnancy have been well documented.

Speak to your doctor for more information about the coronavirus vaccine and to make an informed decision for yourself.

Sources: , ,