Delta Variant Causes An Increased Risk Of Stillbirths

“We are seeing loads of pregnancy complications from Covid-19 infection,” said Dr. Ellie Ragsdale, director of fetal intervention at UH Cleveland Medical Center. Sadly, those complications include premature deliveries, unusually high blood pressure in the expecting mothers, and stillbirths.

Alarming Rise of Stillbirths

One study analyzed the outcomes of over one million pregnancies between March 2020 to September 2021. And it showed that stillbirth rates were low before the pandemic. However, the percentage has jumped from 0.59% to 0.64% among women who never contracted Covid. Per the CDC, the rates rose to 0.98% among expectant mothers who contracted Covid. Furthermore, once the delta variant hit this year, those rates rose to a whopping 2.7% for expecting mothers with Covid.

“Although stillbirth was a rare outcome overall,” the study authors wrote, documented Covid diagnosis was associated with a marked increase in the risk for stillbirth, “with a stronger association during the period of delta variant predominance.” In addition, obstetricians documented the notable differences in how much oxygen fetuses could absorb in infected mothers. Dr. Ragsdale and her colleagues noted that pregnant women with Covid have difficulty getting oxygen-rich blood to their fetuses. “We’re seeing areas of the placenta that are oxygen-deprived,” she said. “That’s the baby’s source of oxygen and survival in pregnancy.”

The CDC’s studies only assessed unvaccinated pregnant women. And by the time the delta variant reared its ugly head, there was only about one-third of the vaccinated pregnant women. Among 34,016 Covid-positive pregnant women, 348 pregnancies were lost. Also, the virus proved even deadlier to mothers who had underlined health issues. Furthermore, in September, the CDC urged pregnant women to get vaccinated. “We have evidence to show there is no increased risk of miscarriage or poor pregnancy outcomes from the vaccine,” said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, deputy chief medical and health officer for the March of Dimes. “All evidence points to the safety of this vaccine.”