Results of Pregnancy Control before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Two Cohorts

Javier Llorca, Carolina Lechosa-Muñiz, Pelayo Frank de Zulueta, Sonia López-Gómez, Victoria Orallo, Jéssica Alonso-Molero, Barbara Arozamena-Llano, Yolanda Jubete, María Paz-Zulueta, María J. Cabero and on behalf of the MOACC-19 Group
Additional contact information
Javier Llorca: Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
Carolina Lechosa-Muñiz: Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
Pelayo Frank de Zulueta: Service of Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, 39008 Santander, Spain
Sonia López-Gómez: Service of Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, 39008 Santander, Spain
Victoria Orallo: Service of Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, 39008 Santander, Spain
Jéssica Alonso-Molero: Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
Barbara Arozamena-Llano: Service of Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, 39008 Santander, Spain
Yolanda Jubete: Service of Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, 39008 Santander, Spain
María Paz-Zulueta: Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
María J. Cabero: Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
on behalf of the MOACC-19 Group: Members of the MOACC-19 Group: Bárbara Arozamena, Laura Conde-Gil, Elsa Cornejo del Río, Rocío Cuesta-González, Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos, María Fernández-Ortiz, Inés Gómez-Acebo, Pilar Gortázar, Coral Llano-Ruiz, Lorena Lasarte-Oria, Sonia Mateo-Sota, Rosa Pardo, Daniel Pérez-González, María Sáez de Adana Herrero.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-7

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic placed pregnant women at high risk, but behavioural changes have also led to lower rates of preterm births in high-income countries. The main goal of this article is to study the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy control and outcomes; this is a joint analysis of two cohorts. The pre-pandemic cohort includes 969 pregnant women recruited in 2018. The pandemic cohort comprises 1168 pregnant women recruited in 2020. Information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, reproductive history, characteristics of the current pregnancy and its outcome were obtained from medical records. Birth by Caesarean section was more frequent in the pre-pandemic cohort (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55–0.92). A birth weight lower than 2500 g and higher than 4000 g occurred more frequently in the pre-pandemic cohort (adjusted OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41–0.93 for lower than 2500 g and adjusted OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.20–0.46 for higher than 4000 g). Exclusive breastfeeding upon hospital discharge was more frequent in the pandemic cohort than in the pre-pandemic cohort (60% vs. 54%, p = 0.005), with adjusted OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52–0.86 for mixed breastfeeding and infant formula. In conclusion, we report reductions in Caesarean sections and reduced numbers of low birth weight babies during the pandemic in a hospital located in northern Spain. Further analysis will clarify if these reductions are related to changes in health-related behaviour or healthcare operation.

Keywords: COVID-19; pregnant; cohort (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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