SEARCHNARRATIVE_REVIEWobstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics

narrative_review·obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, public health, psychiatry, epidemiology·PMC10455823

Stress of Prematurity in the Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Current State of Knowledge

Life · 7 authors, 1 centre

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TL;DR

This narrative review synthesizes literature on how stress during the COVID-19 pandemic affected pregnant women, mothers of preterm infants, and preterm birth rates. It concludes that pandemic-related stress exacerbates negative experiences and may increase obstetric risks via physiological mechanisms like elevated placental CRH.

Full summary

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This narrative review analyzes electronic databases to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic stress on maternal and fetal health. It describes how maternal stress and anxiety increase placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which is linked to higher rates of preterm birth and complications. The review also notes that SARS-CoV-2 infection may independently increase preterm birth risk. It summarizes that the pandemic adversely affected preterm birth rates and maternal mental health, compounding the challenges of having a premature infant. The implications are that understanding these stress pathways is critical, but further research is required to establish long-term consequences for mothers and offspring.

STUDY TYPE

narrative_review

SPECIALTY

obstetrics and gynecology

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AI pipeline

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10455823

Stress of Prematurity in the Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Current State of Knowledge

Life

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ABSTRACT

Stress is a process that triggers various physiological, hormonal and psychological mechanisms in response to a threat, which significantly affects the health of an individual. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a lot of social changes that required constant adaptation to unfavorable conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of stress related to this pandemic on pregnant women, mothers of premature infants and their families, and on obstetric complications, particularly preterm birth. A comprehensive literature review was performed using electronic databases such as Pubmed, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Keywords such as: “prematurity”; “pregnancy”; “stress”; “COVID-19” and various combinations of the above were used. Maternal stress and anxiety increase the levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the placenta, which in turn affects the incidence of preterm birth and many other related maternal and neonatal complications. In addition, it was found that SARS-CoV-2 infection may increase the risk of this phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected preterm birth rates and the mental health of mothers of preterm infants, exacerbating their negative experience of having a premature baby. More research is needed to demonstrate the long-term effects of COVID-19 stress on prematurity.

CITATION EXPORT

Emilia Wagner, Katarzyna Bień, Aleksandra Łomża et al.. Stress of Prematurity in the Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Current State of Knowledge. Life. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/life13081757

AUTHORS

7 · 1 CENTRES

Emilia Wagner, Katarzyna Bień, Aleksandra Łomża, Arkadiusz Grunwald, Żaneta Kimber-Trojnar, Aneta Libera, Bożena Leszczyńska-Gorzelak

Chair and Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland; [email protected] (E.W.); [email protected] (K.B.); [email protected] (A.Ł.); [email protected] (A.G.); [email protected] (A.L.); [email protected] (B.L.-G.)

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Daniele Focosi