According to the study, pregnant women who contract Covid-19 in the third trimester do not transmit it to their babies.
- The researchers studied and tracked 64 pregnant women who had Covid
- None of her babies were infected with the coronavirus after birth
- No coronavirus was detected in the baby’s placenta either
According to data from a new study, pregnant women who catch the coronavirus do not transmit it to their unborn children.
Researchers based in the United States followed 64 women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, between April 2 and June 13.
None of the babies tested positive for Covid-19 after birth and no coronavirus was detected in the placenta.
While Harvard academics warn that the small sample size makes it impossible to rule out that some pregnant women may transmit the virus to their children, they show that the natural defenses of pregnancy defend the virus, they say.
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Researchers based in the United States followed 64 women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, between April 2 and June 13. None of the babies tested positive for Covid-19 (stock)
All expectant mothers were in the third trimester and had the virus in their lungs, nose and throat, but not in the bloodstream or placenta.
According to the researchers, other data will be published, which includes information about women who contracted the virus before pregnancy.
The latest research was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver (NICHD) in Washington DC.

All expectant mothers were in the third trimester and had the virus in their lungs, nose, and throat, but not in blood flow or placenta. Other data will soon be published that includes information on women who contracted the virus before pregnancy (stock)
Dr. Diana Bianchi, director of the NICHD, said: “This study provides some assurance that SARS-CoV-2 infections are likely to not pass through the placenta to the fetus during the third trimester, but more research is needed. to confirm this finding. “
Of those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the study, 23 were asymptomatic, 22 had mild illness, seven had moderate illness, ten had severe illness, and three had critical illness.
In addition to those who tested positive, 63 COVID-negative pregnant women and 11 non-pregnant women were included in the study.
The researchers found that the risk of reduced blood flow to the placenta was higher for women who suffered the worst cases of the disease.
They also noticed lower-than-expected levels of protective antibodies in the umbilical cord blood, but much higher levels of flu-specific antibodies.
They say this could be due to the flu and suggest that COVID antibodies do not pass through the placenta as well as antibodies to other viruses.
The results also showed that only a very low level of COVID antibodies reached the child to be born, which raised more questions about potential immunity.
The study’s author, Dr. Andrea Edlow of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said: “It will be important to determine why these maternal antibodies are less likely to cross the placenta and whether this reduction in antibody transfer makes infants more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to other infections.
‘It will be important to determine how lower levels of maternal SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may affect the health outcomes of premature babies, as COVID-19 may increase the risk of preterm birth.
The results have been published in the journal JAMA Network Open.