Covid-19 has led to a global increase in stillbirths, maternal mortality and depression, according to review

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The review, published Wednesday in The Lancet, found that stillbirths and maternal deaths have increased by nearly a third, according to pooled data from 40 studies covering 17 countries.

There has been an almost six-fold increase in ectopic pregnancies – when the fertilized egg grows outside a woman’s uterus, between January 2020 and January 2021, according to the journal. Untreated ectopic pregnancies can cause life-threatening bleeding.

Researchers at St. George’s University in London have determined that many of these problems may stem from a lack of access to medical care during the pandemic. Hospitals were overloaded with Covid-19 patients, and some women may have been reluctant to go to the doctor, fearing that they would be exposed to Covid-19.

The study also found that the number of women reporting symptoms of depression was increasing, according to six of 10 studies the researchers assessed. Maternal anxiety rates were also higher.

Globally, the rate that hasn’t changed much is the number of preterm births. Pooled data from higher income countries showed a 10% reduction in preterm births. We do not know why. The rates have remained the same in low- and middle-income countries.

Often, during a premature birth, no cause is identified. Dr Erkan Kalafat, co-author of the study from Koc University in Turkey, said he hopes what they learned about premature birth from this study will lead researchers to understand it better.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity to learn from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic to plan for a future of inclusive and equitable maternity care around the world,” Kalafat said.

A glimmer of light for global action against the next pandemic

This study found no real change in the number of people who reported other pregnancy-related complications like high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, and the pandemic did not appear to change the number of cesarean sections performed or the number of pregnancy rates that forced doctors to induce. labor.

The pandemic, however, had a disproportionately negative impact on mothers and children who lived in low- and middle-income countries, according to the study.

“It is clear from our study and others that the disruption caused by the pandemic has led to preventable deaths of mothers and babies, especially in low- and middle-income countries,” said lead author, the Dr Asma Khalil, Professor of Obstetrics at St. George’s University, London. “We urge policymakers and health officials to prioritize safe, accessible and equitable maternity care as part of the strategic response to the pandemic and its consequences, in order to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes in the world. world.

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Dr Denise Jamieson called the study results “worrying.” Jamieson did not work on the study, but is the James Robert McCord Chair in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University and a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Covid OB Expert Working Group.

“Overall, this provides compelling evidence that the effects of the pandemic go far beyond the effects of Covid infection,” Jamieson said. “This shows that there are far-reaching adverse effects on maternal and child health that can last long beyond the pandemic.”

Jamieson said scientists were seeing a similar pattern of problems in countries affected by the Ebola outbreak that began in 2013.

“It’s a pattern we’ve seen before,” Jamieson said. “When you have an infectious disease that consumes a lot of health resources and affects large segments of the population, maternal and child health suffers.

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