COVID-19 in pregnancy: Children born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with developmental disorders by age three, including speech and language delays, autism spectrum disorder, and motor disorders, according to new research from Mass General Brigham published in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Reviewing records for 18,124 mother–child pairs from March 2020 to May 2021, investigators found that 16.3% of children exposed in utero to SARS-CoV-2 (140 of 861) received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis by age three, versus 9.7% among unexposed children (1,680 of 17,263). After adjusting for other factors, maternal infection was linked to 29% higher odds of a neurodevelopmental condition. The risk was highest when infection occurred in the third trimester, and boys were more affected than girls.
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“These findings highlight that COVID-19…may pose risks not only to the mother, but to fetal brain development,” said senior author Andrea Edlow, MD, MSc, adding that prevention of infection in pregnancy remains important amid vaccine hesitancy.
Co-senior author Roy Perlis, MD, MSc, emphasised that the overall risk remains low for any individual child. First author Lydia Shook, MD, urged parental awareness so families can seek timely evaluation and support if concerns arise.
The authors note the results align with prior evidence that maternal infections and immune activation can influence fetal brain development, while stressing the need for continued follow-up as the exposed cohort ages.