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SARS-CoV-2 in early pregnancy—does it affect the aneuploidy screening markers and cause pregnancy loss?

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Abstract

Background

It is known that vertical transmission of various infections poses a potential risk to the fetus, especially in early pregnancy. Potential effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on early pregnancy and placental formation and functions still remain unknown.

Aim

To determine the alterations of prenatal aneuploidy screening markers in a group of pregnant women who were SARS-CoV-2 positive during the first trimester. The secondary goal was to assess pregnancy loss rates.

Method

The study group consisted of pregnant women who were diagnosed with mild forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection before the screening test at any time in early pregnancy. The control group included pregnant women who were not diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection during their pregnancy. SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected by RT-PCR in the nasopharyngeal swab samples. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed due to evaluate effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on NT and serum aneuploidy screening parameters taking maternal age and gestational age which the COVID-19 RT-PCR test result was positive into account.

Results

We did not find any significant difference between the COVID-19-positive and COVID-negative groups in gestational age at screening, sonographic measurements of CRL, NT, and serum levels of PAPP-A, free hCG, and triple test serum markers even after accounting for maternal age and gestational age which the COVID-19 RT-PCR test result was positive. There was no statistically significant difference in pregnancy loss.

Conclusions

We did not find any evidence for unfavorable prenatal biochemical, ultrasound markers of fetal aneuploidy screening tests, and pregnancy loss rates in our study group.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, (AO), upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Professor Itır Ebru Zemheri for the placental pathological evaluation and comments of our case who had abortion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Health Science University, Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Aysegul Ozel, Ecem Yuksel, Aysegul Çakmak & Murat Muhcu

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Canan Satır Ozel

  3. Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ebru Alici Davutoglu

Authors
  1. Aysegul Ozel
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  2. Canan Satır Ozel
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  4. Aysegul Çakmak
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  5. Ebru Alici Davutoglu
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Aysegul Ozel, Canan Satir Ozel, Ecem Yuksel, Aysegul Cakmak, Ebru Alici Davutoglu, andMurat Muhcu; methodology: Aysegul Ozel, Canan Satir Ozel, and Aysegul Cakmak; formal analysis and investigation: Aysegul Ozel, Ebru Alici Davutoglu, and Ecem Yuksel; writing—original draft preparation: Aysegul Ozel and Murat Muhcu; and revising the article for important intellectual content and final approval: all authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aysegul Ozel.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Scientific Ethics Committee of the Health Science University Umraniye Training and Research Hospital (B.10.1.TKH.4.34.H.GP.001/315). All participants in the study provided written informed consent.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ozel, A., Ozel, C.S., Yuksel, E. et al. SARS-CoV-2 in early pregnancy—does it affect the aneuploidy screening markers and cause pregnancy loss?. Ir J Med Sci 193, 295–301 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-023-03454-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-023-03454-y

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