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By Steven Reinberg<\/b>
HealthDay Reporter<\/i><\/p>\n
THURSDAY, June 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant<\/a> women with COVID-19<\/a> who deliver by cesarean section may be at greater risk for complications that affect them and their babies<\/a>, new research suggests.<\/p>\n The study focused on 82 women with COVID-19<\/a> — four of them with severe symptoms — who gave birth in hospitals in Spain. Thirty-seven women delivered by cesarean section (C-section<\/a>), including eight as a direct result of COVID-19<\/a> issues.<\/p>\n Nearly 30% of babies<\/a> delivered by C-section<\/a> had to go to the neonatal<\/a> intensive care unit, compared with fewer than 20% of babies delivered vaginally, the researchers found.<\/p>\n “Cesarean section should be done only when there is an indication for it outside COVID,” said Dr. David Baud of the materno-fetal and obstetrics research unit at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Lausanne, Switzerland.<\/p>\n Baud said a C-section should not be performed just because the mother has COVID-19<\/a> or to prevent transmission of the virus to the baby.<\/p>\n Risks associated with a C-section rise when the mother has COVID-19<\/a>, he added. The study found that women who had a C-section were more likely to wind up in the intensive care unit themselves. They also were more likely to be obese<\/a>, in need of oxygen when they entered the hospital and to have abnormal chest X-rays<\/a>.<\/p>\n None of the mothers who delivered vaginally developed severe medical problems, while nearly 14% who had a C-section had to go to the ICU.<\/p>\n Five percent of women who delivered vaginally saw their COVID-19<\/a> worsen, compared with 22% who had a C-section, according to the report.<\/p>\n Whether COVID-19 can be passed to a baby in the womb isn’t known, but this study may shed some light on the possibility.<\/p>\n Of 72 newborns tested for COVID-19 within six hours of birth, 4% were positive for the virus. Repeat testing after 48 hours found that all tested negative. None of these babies developed COVID-19 symptoms within 10 days, the study authors said.<\/p>\n However, two babies delivered by C-section did develop COVID-19 symptoms within 10 days. Both had contact with their parents immediately after birth, the researchers said. Their symptoms resolved within two days.<\/p>\n Dr. Adi Davidov, associate chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, reviewed the study findings.<\/p>\n He said that “it is not surprising that women who required a cesarean section had worse outcomes.”<\/p>\n Women who have COVID-19 and require a C-section are usually much sicker, Davidov said. It would make sense that their outcomes would be worse.<\/p>\n Although the authors tried to control for many factors, he said it is nearly impossible to control for every variable in this kind of observational study.<\/p>\n “Despite these confounding variables, it is safe to say that whenever possible, the best mode of delivery is vaginal. This is true for women who have COVID-19 or not,” Davidov said.<\/p>\n The findings were published online June 8 as a research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/i>.<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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