A new Canadian study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal indicates that there was no increase in preterm births or stillbirths during the first year of the pandemic. Some studies found that preterm birth rates in countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United States decreased during the pandemic, while there were increases in stillbirth cases, with varying preterm birth rates observed in Britain, Italy, India, and other countries. However, researchers noted that most of these studies were small.
To get a clearer picture, the Canadian team analyzed births in Ontario from 2002 to 2019 and during the pandemic from January to December 2020. Since pandemic-related safety measures and compliance could affect preterm birth rates in different environments, Shah and his colleagues examined birth outcomes in public health units where COVID-19 infection rates were higher. They also compared births in urban and rural areas and those in neighborhoods with different income levels.
Study author Dr. Prakash Shah, a pediatrician at Sinai Health in Toronto, stated, "We did not find unusual changes in preterm birth rates or stillbirths during the pandemic, which is reassuring." Shah added in a press release that "in some areas and for some individuals, restrictions may be beneficial, while in other places or for other individuals, restrictions may have the opposite effect."
It is noted that infection, inflammation, stress, medical disorders related to pregnancy, hereditary factors, and environmental influences could contribute to stillbirth and preterm birth, but the cause remains unknown in many cases, as reported by UPI.
