Here’s what pregnant women need to know about coronavirus, experts say

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of viral respiratory infections, and that includes coronavirus, or COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Pregnant women experience immunologic and physiologic changes which might make them more susceptible to viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19,” the CDC says.

However, it’s doesn’t appear that expectant mothers are at higher risk of severe disease from coronavirus, experts say. According to the World Health Organization, an investigation of 147 pregnant women showed 8 percent with severe disease and 1 percent in critical condition.

The CDC does not have information about “adverse pregnancy outcomes” in women with coronavirus. There have been miscarriages and stillbirths in related viruses, including SARS and MERS, and high fevers in the third trimester increase risk of birth defects, according to the CDC.

Although there are reports or “adverse infant outcomes” such as preterm birth in babies born to mothers with coronavirus, it is unclear whether they are related to the mom’s infection, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

There also is not information about long-term effects on infants with coronavirus or those exposed to the virus in utero, according to the CDC.

Nine pregnant women with coronavirus in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated, show no evidence that the mothers passed the infection on to babies in the womb, according to a study published in The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Dr. Wei Zhang, an author of the study, said the study is limited and doesn’t include information about how coronavirus affects women earlier in their pregnancy, The New York Times reported.

“Fortunately, there was no evidence of vertical transmission from mother to child,” Zhang told The New York Times.

For mothers who are breastfeeding, there is no evidence that coronavirus is in breast milk or transmitted to the baby in this manner, according to the CDC. Experts believe the virus is mainly transferred through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, the CDC says.

The CDC urges women to practice normal preventative measures during a pregnancy, including frequent hand washing and avoiding sick people.

This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Here’s what pregnant women need to know about coronavirus, experts say."