Objective To evaluate the relationship between the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) during pregnancy and the risk of adverse maternal outcomes. Methods A descriptive‐analytical cross‐sectional study conducted on 258 pregnant women who were hospitalized due to confirmed COVID‐19 from March 2020 to January 2021 at the Forghani Hospital in Qom, Iran. Demographic and obstetric characteristics, laboratory findings, and adverse maternal outcomes were recorded from the patients’ medical records. The Fisher exact test, one‐way analysis of variance, and regression logistics were used to assess the relationship between variables. Results Of the total study population, 206 (79.8%) pregnant women had mild to moderate disease, 43 (16.7%) had severe disease, and 9 (3.5%) were in the critical stage of the disease. Eight women (3.1%) died and 33 (12.8%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The most important demographic factors associated with the severity of the disease were ethnicity, underlying conditions, maternal age, and parity. The severity of the disease was significantly associated with increased cesarean delivery and admission to the ICU. Conclusion Pregnant women with severe and critical disease had a high rate of cesarean delivery and admission to the ICU. There were eight cases of maternal mortality.

Background: Postpartum depression is a common disease with serious consequences for the mother and child. However, a few qualitative studies have been conducted on the lived experiences of mothers. Objectives: This study is aimed at exploring the experiences of mothers with the depression from pregnancy and childbirth. Methods: This qualitative study has been conducted on 16 women with a history of depression after childbirth. To collect data, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data collected were analyzed using content analysis suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results:The data analysis led to the development of 821 inductive codes categorized into three themes: 'experienced problems', 'unmet expectations', and psychological distresses. The experienced problems comprised socioeconomic factors and complications during pregnancy and childbirth. The unmet expectations comprised conditions and reactions women expected to occur during interactions with others such as social support and marital relationship. Further, psychological distress was the women's reaction to pregnancy-related events and relative interactions, including psychological reactions and inefficiency in playing roles and fulfilling responsibilities. Conclusions:The findings emphasize the need for exploration of the psychological processes during pregnancy. Women felt they needed support that was not easily available and were worried about lack of privacy and loss of control over their private life, causing psychological distress for women. Couples should receive the education necessary for the risk of post-partum depression.

Objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused many deaths and complications worldwide. However, limited data are available about COVID-19 during pregnancy. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19, and the adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Design This retrospective analytical cohort study was conducted on all pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19 at Nekouei-Hedayati-Forghani Hospital in Qom, Iran from 1 February 2019 to 15 September 2020. For the same period, 165 pregnant women who did not have COVID-19 were selected at random and included in this study. All epidemiological and clinical features were collected from the medical records of the participants. A logistic regression model was used to determine associations between COVID-19 in pregnancy and maternal and fetal outcomes. Findings The most common symptoms reported by pregnant women with COVID-19 were shortness of breath (60.9%), dry cough (59%) and fever (42.9%). After adjustment for potential confounding factors, COVID-19 in pregnancy was associated with a significantly higher risk of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) [odds ratio (OR) 6.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23–31], caesarean section (OR 0.45, 95 CI 0.25–1.03), preterm birth (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.4–6.54), fetal distress (OR 5.7, 95% CI 2.13–15.59) and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.21–7.70). Key conclusions COVID-19 is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, including ICU admission, caesarean section, fetal distress, preterm birth and NICU admission.

Background An unplanned pregnancy may be followed by increased depression and anxiety. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the mediating role of partner’s emotional reaction to pregnancy (PERP) on the relationship between pregnancy planning and prenatal mental health. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 303 healthy Iranian pregnant women during their third trimester. The levels of depression and anxiety were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The PERP score was also measured using a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the plug-in application PROCESS macro. Results The results showed that PERP score was reversely related to pregnancy planning and prenatal depression and anxiety. The direct effect of the pregnancy planning on depression (c = −.05) and anxiety levels (c = −.02) were not significant; but the indirect effect of pregnancy planning on depression (Point Estimate = −.379, CI: −.523 to −.250) and anxiety levels (Point Estimate = −.560, CI: −.741 to −.385) with the mediating role of PERP were significant. Conclusions The results indicated that the effect of pregnancy planning on prenatal mental health is mediated by PERP, and in unplanned pregnancy women need to receive positive reaction of their partners toward pregnancy so that they can preserve their mental health.