Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy and placental pathology

Abstract

Objective: To describe and determine the association between Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy and placental pathology.

Methods: Conducted in a tertiary hospital in Medan, Indonesia, from April 30th 2022 to June 30th 2022, this single-center cross-sectional study involved Covid-19 vaccinated and unvaccinated women with singleton full-term pregnancies delivering live fetuses via cesarean section. Maternal characteristics, placental pathologies, and the placental index were documented at enrollment. The association between Covid-19 vaccination status and placental pathology was assessed.

Results: The study enrolled 200 pregnant women, including 110 vaccinated women and 90 unvaccinated women. No significant differences were observed in birthweight (P=0.48), placental index (P=0.48), and placental pathology findings [intervillous bleeding (P=0.20), increased syncytial knots (P=0.83), chorangiosis (P=0.13), villous stromal edema (P=0.13), vascular dilation and congestion (P=0.13), and vascular wall thrombus (P=0.71)] between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.

Conclusions: This study revealed no statistically significant association between Covid-19 vaccination and placental pathology. The findings support the safety of Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy, in regards to changes of the placental pathology.

Keywords

Covid-19 / Vaccination / Pregnancy / Women / Placenta

Conflict of interest statement

Author declares no conflicts of interest in this study.

Funding

The study received no extramural funding.

Author’s contributions

The author is responsible in the following task: consepting and designing of the study, collecting data, analyzing and interpretation of the data, drafting the manuscript, and doing revision and proofreading the article.

Publisher’s Note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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