Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and first lockdown on pregnancy monitoring in France: the COVIMATER cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background In the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, consultations and pregnancy monitoring examinations had to be reorganised urgently. In addition, women themselves may have postponed or cancelled their medical monitoring for organisational reasons, for fear of contracting the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) or for other reasons of their own. Delayed care can have deleterious consequences for both the mother and the child. Our objective was therefore to study the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the first lockdown in France on voluntary changes by pregnant women in the medical monitoring of their pregnancy and the associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2020 using a web-questionnaire completed by 500 adult (> 18 years old) pregnant women during the first French lockdown (March–May 2020). A robust variance Poisson regression model was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs). Results Almost one women of five (23.4%) reported having voluntarily postponed or foregone at least one consultation or pregnancy check-up during the lockdown. Women who were professionally inactive (aPR = 1.98, CI95%[1.24–3.16]), who had experienced serious disputes or violence during the lockdown (1.47, [1.00–2.16]), who felt they received little or no support (1.71, [1.07–2.71]), and those who changed health professionals during the lockdown (1.57, [1.04–2.36]) were all more likely to have voluntarily changed their pregnancy monitoring. Higher level of worry about the pandemic was associated with a lower probability of voluntarily changing pregnancy monitoring (0.66, [0.46–0.96]). Conclusions Our results can guide prevention and support policies for pregnant women in the current and future pandemics.

Perception of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by pregnant women during the first lockdown in France: worry, perceived vulnerability, adoption and maintenance of prevention measures according to the Covimater study

“…Our study also shows that pregnant women who unsuccessfully sought exchanges with a healthcare professional about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection felt the most vulnerable during the first lockdown in France. This could be a consequence of the high number of pregnancy consultations cancelled by health professionals (36.3% in Covimater) during the first lockdown ( Doncarli et al, 2021 ). However, healthcare consultations are an opportunity to raise the patient’s awareness of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.…”

Changes in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric Referral Trends from a non-Western Country during the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Furthermore, as compared with the pre-pandemic period, the increase in referrals due to perinatal risk was a remarkable nding in our research. As shown by studies, pregnant women are minimizing their pregnancy follow-up checkups because of concerns about the danger of COVID-19 infection [24], and they are feeling signi cant psychological symptoms, particularly depression and anxiety symptoms, as a result of pandemic-related conditions [25]. Additionally, access to healthcare may have negatively affected maternal, fetal, and neonatal health [12,26], increasing the number of risky babies and the requirement for follow-up.…”

Mental health of pregnant women during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in France: evolution of self-perceived psychological state during the first lockdown, and anxiety frequency two months after the lockdown ended

“…Other factors associated with higher frequency of anxiety symptoms during the first lockdown were related to unsuccessful attempts to have an exchange with healthcare professionals about their pregnancy and an unmet need for medication for mood or sleep. The lockdown has resulted in less access to care, both in the general population and for women in the perinatal period ( [26,50]).…”