2023 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 152-157
Background: During the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, perinatal outcomes, including maternal death, intrauterine fetal demise, and maternal depression, have worsened, from a global perspective. We aimed to examine the changes in perinatal complications between 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study included pregnant women admitted to our hospital for perinatal complications, including morning sickness, preterm labor, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP), and preterm or term deliveries between April 1st and June 30th, 2019 (n= 151), 2020 (n= 128), and 2021 (n= 143). COVID-19-positive patients and expectant mothers with multi-fetal pregnancies were excluded; inbound patient transfers for emergency obstetric management from other hospitals were also excluded. Results: The proportion of preterm delivery and HDP in the 2020 group was significantly lower than that in the 2019 or 2021 group (p= 0.02 and p= 0.02); however, there was no difference in the proportion of preterm delivery and HDP between the 2021 and 2019 groups (p= 0.70 and p= 0.77, respectively). Conclusion: In 2021, the incidence of preterm delivery and HDP might have eventually returned to baseline levels as before the spread of COVID-19.
