Prior research had shown that COVID affects pregnant people in uniquely risky ways. A COVID infection during pregnancy is more likely to lead to hospitalization or death, compared to an infection outside of pregnancy. COVID also increases the risk of pregnancy-related complications such as preterm birth or stillbirth. But until this study, the risk to pregnant people of developing long COVID was unknown.
The University of Utah Clinical and Translational Science Institute researchers enrolled more than 1500 people nationwide who had been sick with COVID for the first time while pregnant and assessed self-reported long COVID symptoms at least six months after infection. As part of the National Institutes of Health RECOVER project, a massive nationwide collaboration to understand and treat long COVID, the large size of the study established solid associations and provided a picture of risk that was accurate for pregnant people across demographic groups.
The researchers found that 9.3% of people who contracted COVID during pregnancy went on to experience long-term symptoms. Some of the most common long COVID symptoms participants experienced were fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and feeling drained or exhausted by routine activities…
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