Covid Can Attack, Destroy Placenta During Pregnancy, Study Finds
A study in the journal Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine details the way that a covid infection can cause harm during pregnancy, in particular the way it can remove vital life support functions from a developing fetus.
NBC News:
Covid Stillbirths: The Coronavirus Can Severely Damage The Placenta In Pregnant Women
Research published Thursday paints a startling picture of the destructive toll Covid-19 can take on pregnant women and their growing fetuses. The virus can attack and destroy the placenta, a vascular organ that serves as a fetus’s lifeline, leading to asphyxiation and stillbirth, according to the study in the journal Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. (Sullivan, 2/10)
USA Today:
Pregnant With COVID: How SARS-CoV-2 Can Cause Stillbirth, Study Finds
Although other viral infections have also been linked to stillbirths, a new study suggests the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 may have a completely different way of impacting a developing fetus. A 44-member international research team studied 64 stillbirth cases and four early neonatal deaths from 12 countries to determine how COVID-19 caused perinatal deaths. All the expecting mothers were unvaccinated. Based on their findings, they concluded the COVID-19 infection destroyed the placenta, depriving the fetus of oxygen, according to the report published Thursday in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. Researchers determined the virus reaches the placenta and causes it to fail by passing through the mother’s bloodstream, a process known as viremia. (Rodriguez, 2/10)
AP:
Coronavirus Can Destroy The Placenta And Lead To Stillbirths
Lead author Dr. David Schwartz, an Atlanta pathologist, said other infections can infiltrate the placenta and cause stillbirth, typically by infecting and damaging the fetus. A recent example is Zika virus. He and his colleagues wanted to see if that was the case with stillbirths in women with COVID-19. But what they found was almost the opposite: it was the placenta that was infected and extensively destroyed. “Many of these cases had over 90% of the placenta destroyed — very scary,” said Schwartz. (Tanner, 2/10)
The Hill:
COVID Can Cause Deadly Harm To Unborn Babies In Unvaccinated Pregnant Mothers: Study
Researchers conducted 30 autopsies of the 68 perinatal deaths and found no abnormalities except for intrauterine hypoxia and asphyxia. [Dr.] Schwartz told Changing America that these babies essentially suffocated due to lack of oxygen being delivered to the placenta. (Ali, 2/10)
