Covid-19 Can Complicate Pregnancy If Mom Is Obsese
Many pregnant women have been anxious and feeling the stress that comes with the coronavirus pandemic in addition to being pregnant.
Researchers have had limited information on whether pregnancy puts women at any greater risk of contracting the virus or whether infection complicates pregnancy. However strict precautions are always taken and recommended.
Women who are overweight or obese before pregnancy often have underlying conditions such as respiratory problems, asthma or other conditions such as high blood pressure. Being obese could add more stress on the lungs.
Pregnancy itself puts some degree of stress on the lungs.
“So the same risk factors for severe Covid-19 that we’ve been seeing in non-pregnant people are also surfacing in the pregnant population,” Adams Waldorf said.
Dr Kristina Adams Waldorf, is a senior researcher into the topic of women and obesity and she is a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
“Most of the women had milder cases, but nearly 15% developed more severe breathing problems. All were hospitalised, and one woman who had asthma ended up in the intensive care unit.
In nearly all cases, the women were overweight or obese before pregnancy, and half had asthma or other conditions such as high blood pressure”, concludes Adams Waldorf.
