COVID-19 in pregnancy influences the progression of labor: A single-institutional and observational study in Japan

Abstract

The management of vaginal delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear due to lack of information on labor characteristics. We aimed to clarify the effects of COVID-19 on the progression of vaginal labor. The single-institutional and observational study of COVID-19 women in pregnancy (COVID-19 group, n = 50) delivering from 2020 to 2022, was conducted. Patients’ backgrounds, perinatal outcomes, labor characteristics (labor time and Bishop score), and the details of maternal COVID-19 were analyzed and compared with non-COVID-19 pregnant women (control group, n = 258). The COVID-19 group showed rapidly progressing labor without adverse effect. The 1st and 2nd stage of labor time, and labor time after rupture of membrane were significantly shorter in the COVID-19 group than in the control group (P < 0.01; P < 0.01; and P < 0.05, respectively). The COVID-19 group had a higher Bishop score on initiation of labor (P < 0.01). Precipitous delivery in the COVID-19 group also significantly increased (P < 0.05). These results indicated that COVID-19 in pregnancy can affect the progression of labor rapidly. This is the first report focusing on the characteristics of labor progression in COVID-19 women, indicating that COVID-19 can affect the progression of labor without complication.