The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public or whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result.
Pregnant women experience changes in their bodies that may increase their risk of some infections. With viruses from the same family as COVID-19, and other viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, women have had a higher risk of developing severe illness.
It is always important for pregnant women to protect themselves from illnesses by taking the following precautions:
- Cover your cough (using your elbow is a good technique)
- Avoid people who are sick
- Clean your hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Avoid gatherings with 10 or more people
- Keep a distance of 6-8 feet between you and others
You can find additional information on preventing COVID-19 disease at CDC’s (Prevention for 2019 Novel Coronavirus)
It is unknown at this time if COVID-19 would cause problems during pregnancy or affect the health of the baby after birth because there are very little data to report. At this time, no infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. In these cases, which are a small number, the virus was not found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.
The information shared in this article are taken from the CDC.gov website which is your most current and reliable source of information on this and many other health topics.
