Stillbirths, maternal mortality grow during pandemic
CHICAGO - The first study showing how pregnant women have been impacted by the pandemic has been made public. Globally, the statistics are very grim.
Stillbirths and maternal deaths increased by nearly a third. The data comes from 40 studies spanning 17 countries.
"Every time there is a major outbreak like Ebola, what happens is women and children's health go to the wayside," said Dr. Melissa Simon, OBGYN at Northwestern Medicine.
Dr. Simon says it happened because hospitals were overburdened with COVID-19 patients and some women may have been reluctant to go to the doctor in fear of COVID.
"Resources get shifted and mindsets become fearful of going to the health care system," Dr. Simon said.
The number of women who needed surgery for an ectopic pregnancy increased almost six-fold between January 2020 and January 2021.
As fears of another wave possibly coming, Dr. Simon says expectant moms should get vaccinated and pass on the anti-bodies to their babies.
The new data also shows more women experienced depression, according to six of 10 studies evaluated.