Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 in Reproductive-Aged Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women in Osaka, Japan

Abstract

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of reproductive-aged female patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of female patients aged 10-49 years, diagnosed with COVID-19 in Osaka, Japan, between January and November 2020. We assessed their epidemiological and clinical characteristics according to their pregnancy status.

Results: A total of 4,156 patients were enrolled, of whom 29 (0.7%) were pregnant. Most patients exhibited mild symptoms, and 10.8% of the cases were asymptomatic. No moderate or severe cases were observed in pregnant women, whereas only 0.1% of the nonpregnant women had severe disease at diagnosis. No clusters were observed in the pregnant patients; however, most acquired the infection from a family member. Of the 29 pregnant women, 22 (75.9%) were hospitalized; whereas among the nonpregnant women, 579 (14.0%) were hospitalized (p < 0.001). No patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and there were no deaths among women aged 10-49 years.

Conclusions: Pregnant women accounted for 0.7% of the total cases of COVID-19 among women aged 10-49 years. Pregnant women were more likely to be hospitalized but generally had mild disease.

Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Pregnant women; Reproductive-aged women.