Covid-19: Abnormalities in the womb detected among pregnant women even after they tested negative

Analysis of 115 women in the UK, Canada and France who gave birth over the last 18 months showed far more physical abnormalities in the placenta than doctors would expect to see in a pre-2020 pregnancy. The pandemic is taking a physical toll on pregnant women – even if they do not catch Covid-19, a small international study suggests. Analysis of 115 women in the UK, Canada and France who gave birth over the last 18 months showed far more physical abnormalities in the placenta than doctors would expect to see in a pre-pandemic pregnancy. Rates of problems with the placenta, the baby’s support system in the womb, tripled among expectant mothers with Covid-19 but doubled even among those who tested negative, suggesting the changes can be caused by the sheer stress of the pandemic as well as the virus itself.