NOTE: Information and guidelines may change rapidly. Check in with listed references in ‘Learn More – Primary Sources’ to best keep up to date

SUMMARY:

The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV-2, and spread of COVID-19 infection is being closely monitored worldwide. The following provides key highlights from major professional organizations along with valuable links to other resource hubs focused on COVID-19 and pregnancy  

• Presentation in Pregnancy
• CDC: Obstetric L&D Recommendations
• ACOG Practice Advisory
• SMFM Guidance
• ASRM Guidelines – Fertility Health
• RCOG Guidelines

COVID-19 Presentation in Pregnancy

• Presentation and clinical findings for COVID-19 pneumonia do not differentiate in pregnant women vs the general population
• Typical presentation with COVID-19 includes
  • Common clinical features: Fever | Fatigue | Dry cough
  • Lymphopenia (<1.0 × 10⁹ cells per L)
  • Myalgia
  • Sore throat
• Reports of
  • Liver involvement (elevated transaminases, coagulopathies) and decreased platelets
  • Cardiac injury biomarkers
  • Loss of smell and taste
  • Conjunctivitis
• CDC and publications on this topic continue to stress the limited amount of data currently available on this topic
• Data suggests that pregnant women may not be at higher risk for COVID-19 or have a more severe course if they become infected

CDC: Obstetric L&D Recommendations

The following is a summary with key highlights – the full CDC recommendations can be found at the Obstetric Healthcare Settings page (find link below in ‘Learn More – Primary Sources’ as well as link to ACOG Practice Advisory)  

Visitors

• Visitors should be limited to those required for emotional care support, prioritizing maternal well-being
• Depending upon the extent of community-transmission, institutions may consider limiting visitors to one essential support person and having that person be the same individual throughout the hospitalization
• All visitors should be screened and, if cleared, should be educated regarding appropriate transmission prevention measures 
• Visitor screening
  • Visitors should not be allowed entry if fever or respiratory symptoms are present

Mother-Infant Separation: Vertical Transmission and Newborn Risk  

• Vertical Transmission
  • Primarily via respiratory droplets during the postnatal period when neonates are exposed to others with COVID-19
  • “Limited reports” regarding intrapartum or peripartum transmission | Clinical significance unclear
• Maternal-infant separation
  • According to the CDC, “temporary separation of the newborn from a mother with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should be strongly considered to reduce the risk of transmission to the neonate”
  • Temporary separation options include
    • Separate room | Maintaining a physical distance of ≥6 feet between the mother and neonate | placing the neonate in a temperature-controlled isolette if the neonate remains in the mother’s room
    • If mothers’ results are negative, discontinue separation precautions
  • Risks and benefits of temporary separation should be discussed with the mother and “decisions about temporary separation should be made in accordance with the mother’s wishes”
  • Considerations regarding temporary separation include
    • Clinical conditions of the mother and neonate (e.g., separation may be necessary if infant at increased risk for severe illness (e.g., preterm or medical condition)
    • Logistics: Testing availability, staffing, space, and PPE
    • Results of neonatal testing: Separation not required if neonate is positive for SARS-CoV-2
  • Considerations to discontinue temporary separation are the same as those to discontinue transmission-based precautions for hospitalized patients with COVID-19

If No Separation

• Consider using the following controls
  • Physical barriers (e.g., a curtain between the mother and newborn)
  • Keeping the newborn ≥6 feet away from the ill mother
  • Mother (with confirmed COVID-19 or PUI) should use a cloth face covering and practice hand hygiene before each feeding or other close contact with her newborn | Keep face covering in place during contact 

Breastfeeding when Mother has Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 

• Mother is breastfeeding
  • Wash her hands using soap and water before touching the infant or use hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) if soap unavailable
  • wear a cloth face covering while feeding at the breast
• Mother is expressing
  • Clean hands as above before touching any pump or bottle parts
  • Wear a cloth face covering
  • If possible, expressed breast milk should be fed to the infant by a healthy caregiver, who is not at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19

Hospital Discharge and Discontinuation of in-home isolation and Transmission-Based Precautions for hospitalized patients 

• Follow recommendations described in the Interim Guidance for Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Disposition of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 (see ‘Learn More – Primary Sources’)
• Discharge planning: Should be made made on a case-by-case basis in consultation with clinicians, infection prevention and control specialists, and public health officials
• Consideration should be given to the following
  • Disease severity
  • Illness signs and symptoms
  • Results of laboratory testing for COVID-19 in respiratory specimens
• Patients who are discharged but have not met criteria to discontinue isolation
  • To reduce the risk of transmission to their newborn, a patient “may continue temporary separation at their place of residence (if feasible) until cleared to discontinue home isolation following either the symptom based strategy or testing based strategy”

Note: CDC defines hand hygiene as follows 

Hand hygiene includes use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60% to 95% alcohol before and after all patient contact, contact with potentially infectious material, and before putting on and upon removal of PPE, including gloves. Hand hygiene can also be performed by washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If hands are visibly soiled, use soap and water before returning to alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

KEY POINTS:

ACOG Practice Advisory

• ACOG has released a practice advisory, providing guidance and valuable links
• Based on prior experience with significant viral infections, diligence is warranted in the management of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Testing on labor and delivery
  • Women with suspected COVID-19 or those who develop related symptoms “should be prioritized for testing”
  • Universal testing: Consider molecular testing strategies to identify asymptomatic patients, particularly in high prevalence areas
  • PPE: ACOG reviews CDC guidance
    • Respirators (e.g., N95 respirators) should be used when caring for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19
    • Aerosol-generating procedures should be prioritized during shortages
    • ACOG restates the CDC opinion that second stage is not considered an aerosol-generating procedure and adds the following

ACOG continues to review questions and data regarding the potential for aerosolization in the context of forceful exhalation during the second stage of labor 

• ACOG and SMFM provide an algorithm to aid in the assessment and management of pregnant women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19

Tap Image to Open Algorithm

SMFM Guidance

• SMFM has released multiple documents addressing obstetrical management (see ‘Learn More – Primary Sources’ below)

Fetal Surveillance and Management

In the setting of a mild infection, management similar to that for a patient recovering from influenza is reasonable. Given how little is known about this infection, a detailed midtrimester anatomy ultrasound examination may be considered following first-trimester maternal infection.

For those experiencing illness later in pregnancy, it is reasonable to consider sonographic assessment of fetal growth in the third trimester

Delivery Planning for Mildly Symptomatic or Asymptomatic Pregnant Patients

• COVID-19-positive status is not an indication for delivery
  • Timing and mode of delivery should be based on usual obstetrical indications
• 37w0d to 38w6d: To limit exposure of healthcare team and neonate (and reduce PPE utilization were supply is limited) consider expectant management until
  • 14 days after the positive SARS-CoV-2 test result or
  • until 7 days after onset of symptoms and 3 days after resolution of symptoms
• ≥39 weeks
  • Consider delivery to reduce risk of worsening maternal status

Delivery for Patients Who are Critically Ill

• SMFM provides guidance on management of critically ill women who are pregnant
• Care needs to be individualized and addition, the document states that

Although data regarding delivery timing and acute respiratory distress syndrome are limited, it is reasonable to consider delivery in the setting of worsening critical illness

ASRM Guidelines – Fertility Health

• Fertility services are considered an essential health service
• The impact of the pandemic varies across the country and if certain parameters are met (e.g., sustained reduction in cases), practices can consider resuming care
• The updated guidance provides required standards that should be met prior to reinstating practices, as well as recommendations regarding office practice (see ‘Learn More – Primary Sources’ for ASRM documents and updates)

Reopening Units

• ASRM recommends the following steps when considering reopening fertility units and resuming services

When

– Education and staff training are achieved and certified a documented risk mitigation strategy is in place for the operation of the clinic as a whole, and

– A documented risk mitigation plan is in place for each procedure

Then

– The clinic may select the tests and or treatments to resume

– Consider reinitiating a limited number of services when initially resuming care

– Begin at a pace that allows new policies and procedures to be operationally observed to ensure that they are working as designed, and

– Monitor, reassess and modify clinic operations as community conditions change, knowledge of the disease increases, and additional resources to mitigate, test for, and combat the disease become available

COVID-19 Screening and Donor Programs

• Oocyte donors
  • Consider incorporating additional counseling and documentation regarding screening
  • Consider cancelling if the donor has a positive SARS-CoV-2 test or develops COVID-19 during ovarian stimulation
  • FDA
    • Does not recommend SARS-CoV-2 testing prior to obtaining oocytes for third-party reproduction
    • Does recommend using screening questions
• Sperm donors
  • SARS-CoV-2 may be present in semen
  • Quarantine of donor sperm
    • Anonymous: 6 month quarantine (FDA requirement)
    • Directed donation: Quarantine not required by but may be considered at the discretion of the recipient and physician
  • FDA
    • Does not recommend SARS-CoV-2 testing prior to obtaining oocytes for third-party reproduction
    • Does recommend using screening questions

RCOG Guidelines

• Guidance for healthcare professionals on Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in pregnancy has been published by the RCOG, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Public Health England and Health Protection Scotland
• Effects on mothers and fetuses sections updated due to UKOSS registry results of hospitalized pregnant women (see ‘Related ObG Topics’ below for review of the UKOSS data)

Effect on Pregnant Women

• Of the 427 pregnant women in the UKOSS registry
  • Level 3 care: 9% of women
  • ECMO: <1% (4 women)
  • Case fatality rate: 1.2% (95% CI, 0.4 to 2.7%)
  • Represents a SARS-CoV-2 associated maternal mortality rate of 5.6 (95% CI, 1.8 to 13.1) per 100,000 maternities

Effects on Fetus and Neonate

• “No data suggesting an increased risk of miscarriage or early pregnancy loss in relation to COVID-19” | Current data not sufficiently convincing to make the association
• UKOSS cohort
  • Median gestational age at birth: 38 weeks (IQR 36–39 weeks)
  • Preterm birth rate: 27% | 47% of these were iatrogenic for maternal compromise | 15% were iatrogenic for fetal compromise
  • NICU admission: 10%
  • Positive SARS-CoV-2 test: 2.5% (6 infants) during the first 12 hours after birth (included some infants that were delivered by cesarean without labor)
  • Fetal and newborn loss
    • 3 stillbirths (2 unclear if related to COVID-19)
    • 2 neonatal deaths (definitely not related to COVID-19)

Pregnant Healthcare Workers

• While ACOG advises that pregnant healthcare workers should have the option of being removed from direct patient care at 37 weeks (or at least 14 days before anticipated delivery) when there is higher risk of exposure, RCOG recommends the following

Choices for pregnant healthcare workers prior to 28 weeks’ gestation: Following a risk assessment with their employer and occupational health, pregnant women should only be supported to continue working if the risk assessment advises that it is safe for them to do so. This means that employers must remove any risks (that are greater in the workplace than to what they would be exposed to outside of the workplace), or else they should be offered suitable alternative work

For pregnant women from 28 weeks’ gestation, or with underlying health conditions such as heart or lung disease at any gestation, a more precautionary approach is advised. Women in this category should be recommended to stay at home. For many healthcare workers, this may present opportunities to work flexibly from home in a different capacity, for example by undertaking telephone or videoconference consultations, or taking on administrative duties

Note: Find additional international professional guidelines below in ‘Learn More – Primary Sources’

Learn More – Primary Sources:

CDC: Information for Healthcare Providers: COVID-19

CDC: Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

CDC: People who are at higher risk for severe illness

CDC: Considerations for Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Settings

CDC: Evaluation and Management Considerations for Neonates At Risk for COVID-19

CDC: Interim Guidance for Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Disposition of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

ACOG: Practice Advisory: Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)

ACOG: COVID-19 FAQs for Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Obstetrics

SMFM: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Page

ASRM: Patient Management and Clinical Recommendations During The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

A call from reproductive epidemiologists regarding ASRM COVID-19 Task Force Guidelines

RCOG: Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and pregnancy

RCOG: Updated advice for pregnant healthcare workers and employers during the coronavirus outbreak

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland: The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists issues guidance on Covid-19 and maternity services

FIGO: COVID-19 Resources

RANZCOG: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advice and Information

Collège National des Gynécologues et Obstétriciens Français (CNGOF): Prise En Charge Aux Urgences Maternite D’une Patiente Enceinte  Suspectee Ou Infectee Par Le Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Federação Brasileira das Associações de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia (FEBRASCO): Infecção pelo Coronavírus SARS-CoV-2 em obstetrícia. Enfrentando o desconhecido

SOGC: COVID-19 Resources

ISUOG: COVID-19 Resources

JAMA: What Is a Pandemic?

A case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in a pregnant woman with preterm delivery

Possible Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 From an Infected Mother to Her Newborn

Antibodies in Infants Born to Mothers With COVID-19 Pneumonia

Related ObG Topics: