The COVID-19 pandemia may affect pregnant women. Though the vast majority of infected pregnant patients are asymptomatic, about 9% exhibit symptoms of pneumonia, which must be diagnosed and appropriately treated. The first published papers suggested a management similar to that of non-pregnant patients in terms of diagnostic tests and therapies. Given the increased risk of preterm labor, corticosteroids for fetal lung maturation should be administrated in case of imminent labor. The delivery route should be chosen based on obstetrical data even if elective caesarian section was reported in most published patients. Loco-regional anesthesia is permitted. Only a few cases of maternal-fetal transmission have been reported to date, with transmission mainly occurring during and after delivery. Perinatal morbidity and mortality have been shown to be very low. Only one maternal death was reported so far. Breastfeeding is possible using specific hygiene measures, such as hand washing and surgical mask wearing. In conclusion, this up-to-date literature review suggests that COVID-19-infected pregnant women and their newborn face a good outcome. However, more information from large multicenter studies must be collected, in an effort to confirm these encouraging data.
Key Words
COVID-19 infection, pregnancy, placenta