Is COVID-19 Similar in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women?

Approximately one-third of infected pregnant women died from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) epidemics of the past two decades. It is logical to predict that pregnant women infected with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) might be at higher risk for severe illness, morbidity, or mortality compared with non-pregnant women. However, a review of the literature indicates that pregnant women are not more likely to be seriously ill than other healthy non-pregnant women if they develop coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This observation begs the question: “Why does pregnancy not increase the risk for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection, nor does it worsen the clinical course of COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant individuals?” Herein, we try to explain our observations when considering whether the immunologic changes of pregnancy and other physiologic adaptations of pregnancy affect the virulence and course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.