• Medha Barbhaiya, Bessie Stamm, Gregory Vitone, Marianna B Frey, Deanna Jannat-Khah, Jonah Levine, JoAnn Vega, Candace H Feldman, Jane E Salmon, Mary K Crow, Vivian Bykerk, Michael D Lockshin, Lisa Sammaritano, and Lisa A Mandl.
• Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.
• Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2021 Jul 1; 73 (7): 1004-1012.

ObjectiveThe present study was undertaken to evaluate the pregnancy experiences of women receiving care in the division of rheumatology at a major academic center in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA web-based COVID-19 survey was emailed to 26,045 patients who were followed in the division of rheumatology at a single center in New York City. Women ages 18-50 years were asked about their pregnancy. We compared the COVID-19 experience between pregnant and nonpregnant women and also explored the impact of the pandemic on prenatal care and perinatal outcomes.ResultsAmong 7,094 of the 26,045 respondents, 1,547 were women ages 18-50 years, with 61 (4%) reporting being pregnant during the pandemic. The prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 was similar in pregnant and nonpregnant women (8% versus 9%, respectively; P = 0.76). Among women with COVID-19, pregnant women had a shorter duration of symptoms (P < 0.01) and were more likely to experience loss of smell or taste (P = 0.02) than nonpregnant women. Approximately three-fourths of women had a systemic rheumatic disease, with no differences when stratified by pregnancy or COVID-19 status. In all, 67% of pregnant women noted changes to prenatal care during the pandemic, and 23% of postpartum women stated that the pandemic affected delivery.ConclusionAmong women followed in the division of rheumatology at a major center in New York City, pregnancy was not associated with increased self-reported COVID-19. Pregnancy was associated with a shorter duration of COVID-19 symptoms and a higher prevalence of loss of smell or taste. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted prenatal care for the majority of pregnant patients.© 2020, American College of Rheumatology.

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