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The coronavirus has foiled many a plan in 2020 — be it concerts, college, vacations, conferences, sporting events, or even seeing friends. For the folks trying to conceive, the pandemic has added even more anxiety and stress. Would getting pregnant during lockdown be a colossal mistake? What if you give birth before the pandemic is over? Will your finances, job, and health insurance be affected? While the answer will be different for everyone, you can have a safe pregnancy and birth during COVID.
Note: During COVID-19, guidelines for pregnant women may be changing due to new studies and information. Please check with your doctor to make sure you’re following the current health and safety protocols.
When is it considered high risk to get pregnant?
Generally, a high-risk pregnancy means someone has one or more factors that raise their — or the baby’s — chances of health issues or early delivery. A pregnant person is considered high risk if they have some or all of the following characteristics:
- Age 17 years or younger
- Age 35 years or older
- Underweight or overweight prior to pregnancy
- Pregnant with multiples
- Has high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, or another health problem
- Had problems with a previous pregnancy (e.g., preterm labor, having a child with a genetic disorder or congenital anomaly)
- Smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking illegal drugs
For counselor Katherine Shorter, she was already considered high risk due to being over 35 and asthmatic. Shorter constantly worried about her husband being unknowingly exposed to the coronavirus and then passing it on to her. “I would be apprehensive about kissing him and being intimate — which wasn’t helpful to having a baby,” she told Mom.com.
For folks over 40, some of you may choose to proceed because your fertility window is declining. For those of you around 30, you still have a lot of time and may choose to wait until after there is a vaccine or we have more information about the disease — as well as how it affects pregnant people and their babies.
“I think couples need to do what is right for them — so if they feel this is the right time, we want them to ‘go for it’ — but to stay as healthy as possible,” Yale University clinical professor Dr. Mary Jane Minkin told Mom.com. Minkin said that they’d seen an understandable decrease in women trying to conceive. “Given the unknowns, many women are choosing to delay childbearing.”
How to get pregnant safely during COVID-19
If you choose to proceed with trying to conceive, rest assured, conception is not directly affected by the coronavirus. As before the pandemic, the best time to conceive is two to three days before ovulation. To determine your best fertility window, you can track your body’s physiological changes like cervical mucus or basal body temperature, or use an ovulation kit, a calendar, or an app like Clue, Period Tracker by GP Apps, or Ovia.
Indirectly speaking however, stress can affect ovulation, so if you’re significantly stressed by the pandemic — or any reason — you may not ovulate as well or have difficulty with sex.
If you are trying to conceive, leading a healthy lifestyle can boost your fertility. At the very least, you should avoid alcohol and smoking, as well as take prenatal vitamins with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. And with experts warning of a flu season/COVID-19 perfect storm, Dr. Minkin suggested all people trying to conceive get their flu shots now.
Precautions to take if you get pregnant during COVID
Currently, there is insufficient data on the impact of coronavirus on pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautions that pregnant people may be at increased risk for admission to intensive care or the use of ventilators from COVID-19. Though the risk of death is the same as non-pregnant people, there may also be greater risk for adverse outcomes such as preterm birth.
However, pregnant people don’t seem to be more likely to contract COVID-19, though expectant people are at higher risk for contracting illnesses in general. So if you do become pregnant, please follow the CDC guidelines on protecting yourself.
Ask your healthcare provider how they are handling obstetrical care during the pandemic and make sure you are comfortable with their procedures. Some appointments will move to a virtual platform. For some in-person appointments, you will likely have to go alone. You may also only be allowed one visitor during the birth as well as restrictions placed on their stay.
Some folks with low risk pregnancies and access to midwives are even considering at home births to minimize their exposure to COVID-19.
