Recent Study Alarms Experts Regarding Pregnant Coronavirus Positive Women

The mysteries of the COVID-19 virus continue as a recent pathological study showed that the virus affects the blood flow from the mother to the baby in utero. Northwestern Medicine spearheaded this study concerning the injured placenta of COVID-19 positive pregnant women in Chicago. 

If you are pregnant then there is something to be worried about according to Dr. Emily Miller of Northwestern Medicine as she gave some concerned insight via CNN:

"Not to paint a scary picture, but these findings worry me. I don't want to draw sweeping conclusions from a small study, but this preliminary glimpse into how Covid-19 might cause changes in the placenta carries some pretty significant implications for the health of a pregnancy."

The placenta develops next to the fetus, and it supplies the baby's oxygen as well as other nutrients. It will also eliminate carbon dioxide and other forms of metabolic waste which is an essential process for unborn babies. 

"We must discuss whether we should change how we monitor pregnant women right now," she added. 

These new precautions, according to Miller, may come in the form of tests that will determine the amount of oxygen the placenta is producing. Another option is via a fetal growth scan through ultrasound, which can measure if the fetus is growing at a normal rate.

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Despite following only 16 women, Miller and her colleagues emphasized that this study is by far the largest analysis of the health of placentas in COVID-19 positive pregnant women. 

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology, and it discusses two findings of the injuries of the placenta. Chiefly, 80 percent, or 12, of the pregnant women suffer from vascular malperfusion.

This is a medical term that means an impairment of the blood circulation coming from the maternal side towards the fetus. Secondly, 40 percent, or six, of the remaining pregnant women suffer from blood clotting within the placenta. 

Given that the chance of having a healthy fetus is parallel to having a well-functioning placenta, this recent study of COVID-19 infected pregnant women will help create a structured set of data that will later help decide if the virus can cause certain results.

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Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, a pathologist from Northwestern Medicine, told Reuters via Times of India that "these findings support that there might be something clot-forming about coronavirus, and it's happening in the placenta."

The examination of issues concerning a woman's placenta will help us to learn exactly what happened to the fetus in utero or what could possibly happen to both the mother and the infant post-birth. Most issues that deal with placental blood flow will lead to low levels of amniotic fluid and restrictions in the growth of the fetus. 

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However, Dr. Denise Jamieson, via CBS Sacramento, made it clear that "this study raises more questions than answers." 

She explained that we need to take in many considerations clinically before altering the care of pregnant women with COVID-19. Especially as none of the 15 live babies have shown signs of a health problem. 

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