Chowdary, NDSridhar, CMKantharajanna, UNaidu, SVenkatesh, SMenon, AS.2025-08-132025-08-132025-01Chowdary ND, Sridhar CM, Kantharajanna U, Naidu S, Venkatesh S, Menon AS.. Impact of COVID-19 infection on pregnancy outcomes: A retrospective cohort study focusing on preterm and low-birth-weight pregnancies . National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 2025 Jan; 15(1): 20-272231-32062320-4672https://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/252838Introduction: Viral infections pose significant risks to pregnant women and fetuses. Although the impact of many viruses on pregnancy has been well-documented, the specific effects of COVID-19 on gestational age and newborn development remain unclear. There is a need to investigate these relationships in an Indian context where data on COVID-19 and pregnancy outcomes are limited. Aim: To determine the effect of COVID-19 infection on gestational age and birth weight in neonates born to COVID- 19-positive mothers during the third trimester of gestation. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study used medical records collected from March 2020 to September 2022 at a tertiary hospital in Bengaluru. The data were analyzed in 2023. A total of 379 pregnant women aged 18–35 years were included in the study, out of which 325 were COVID-19 positive, while 54 were COVID-19 negative. In all the study subjects, comorbidities, gestational age, birth weight, and infection severity were recorded and analyzed. The chi-square test and Mood’s median test were used to compare COVID-19-positive pregnant women with COVID-19-negative pregnant women who delivered during the same time period. Results: COVID-19 infected women had an average gestational age of 269.24 ± 16.11 days compared to noninfected women 270.33 ± 10.65 days with a p-value of 0.733. Approximately 13.84% (45) of COVID-19-positive women delivered their babies preterm. The study found that the average birth weight of babies born to COVID-19 infected mothers was 2.78 ± 0.53 kg compared to 2.81 ± 0.4 kg in noninfected mothers with a p-value of 0.637 and the birth weights in both groups were comparable to the average birth weight in India. Conclusion: The study found that COVID-19 did not appear to increase the likelihood of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm delivery or low birth weight, in the studied population, suggesting that it does not pose a specific threat to the health of the mother or fetus.Viral infectionsGestational ageIntrauterine viral transmissionGrowth restrictionPlacental barrierJournal ArticleIndiaShri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, IndiaShri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, IndiaShri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, IndiaShri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, IndiaShri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, IndiaShri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, India