HauteWELLNESS
ASPIRE Assessing the Safety of Pregnancy In the CoronaviRus PandEmic
UCSF’S RAPID RESPONSE TO COVID-19 As an academic medical center dedicated to public health, specializing in the care of patients with the most complex diseases, and home to some of the nation’s top infectious-disease experts, UCSF is at the forefront of efforts to mitigate and eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences – a recognized leader in its field, currently ranked No. 1 nationwide in women’s health research funding from the National Institutes of Health – responded early and aggressively to the urgent need to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their babies. EARLY PREGNANCY: A CRUCIAL PERIOD FOR MOTHER AND BABY During pregnancy, changes in the immune system and lungs may make women more vulnerable to severe illness or even death from respiratory viruses. Additionally, viral infections in the mother can lead to miscarriage, birth defects, or brain development problems in the fetus. The first 10 weeks of pregnancy are the most crucial. This is when the fetus is highly vulnerable because its organ systems are forming, and the placenta – the key connection between mom and baby – develops. The lifelong health trajectory of a baby can be irreparably affected during this time, yet no data exist about the impact of COVID-19 infection during this critical period. Given the potential dangers to mothers and their unborn babies, we need answers now in order to support and counsel women who have become pregnant or are planning to get pregnant during this
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PHOTO CREDITS: SHUTTERSTOCK
PHOTO CREDITS: SHUTTERSTOCK
global pandemic.
