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A UCC professor and obstetrician at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) says pregnancy complications due to Covid-19 are “very rare.”
Professor Keelin O’Donoghue spoke after a preliminary report linked four stillbirths in Ireland to a condition called Covid placentitis, a coronavirus infection of the placenta in pregnant women who have Covid-19.
Professor O’Donoghue has acknowledged that women who are currently pregnant or trying to conceive may be fearful of recent studies carried out on covid placentitis.
“It is quite scary for pregnant women to hear about this. This is a rare complication that we know of and are still investigating. What we could have here is a group by pure chance, “he told RTÉ Morning Ireland.
Dr. O’Donoghue says that, based on research, these Covid-linked placental abnormalities can present as early as 24 weeks and urges women who notice a decrease in fetal movement to notify their healthcare provider:
“The most important thing is that women should not ignore any signs of concern they may have,” he added.
Professor O’Donoghue has advised pregnant women to continue to take all steps to try to avoid contracting the virus by following public health advice and sharing any other concerns they have with medical professionals:
“My advice to pregnant women, on a very simple level, is to try not to get Covid, secondly vaccinations should be considered… for those who currently have the virus it is really important that you tell your healthcare provider. and attend their visits. as usual.”
Also in response to the alert issued by the HSE on Thursday, Professor Peter McKenna, director of the HSE Women’s and Infant Health Program, told Newstalk Breakfast that the information was “very preliminary” and that further testing would be required.
He also said that if women detect a decrease in fetal movements, it would be prudent to have tests performed and repeated on an ongoing basis.
However, Professor McKenna said it seemed unusual that health authorities were only hearing about the issue at this stage, a year after the pandemic. There have been thousands of births in Ireland in the past year and millions around the world. If there were a frequency of such incidents, it would have come to light in other countries, he said.
Meanwhile, the Master of the Rotunda, Professor Fergal Malone, has repeated a call for pregnant women to be put on the priority list for vaccination.
“Putting them at the end of the queue is not a good thing,” he told the Today with Claire Byrne program on RTÉ radio.
Of the 200 cases in the Rotunda hospital of pregnant women with Covid-19 there were no adverse outcomes for the baby, he said.
The later in pregnancy a woman contracts Covid-19, the more likely she is to become seriously ill, making her care “a little more complicated,” explained Professor Malone.
Maternity hospitals are safe places, and any woman with concerns should contact her hospital “day or night.”
Professor Malone also said he was “a strong advocate” for vaccinating pregnant women, saying that “it is the safest thing to do.” Internationally, “thousands” of pregnant women have been vaccinated without adverse effects.
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