Health
Long COVID impacts 10% of pregnant women, study finds: ‘Take precautions’
Experts aren’t sure why some people get long COVID and some don’t — but a new study explores its prevalence among pregnant women.
At the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting in Maryland earlier this month, researchers revealed that roughly one in 10 women who get COVID during pregnancy will develop long COVID.
This was lower than estimates from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which predicted that 23% of pregnant women would experience it.
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The research, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was part of the RECOVER Initiative, a larger NIH-funded study that focuses on the long-term effects of COVID.
Researchers analyzed 1,503 women from 46 states plus Washington, D.C., who got COVID while they were pregnant, according to a press release.
A new study explores the prevalence of long COVID during pregnancy. (iStock)
More than half were vaccinated before getting the virus.
The average age of the women at the time of infection was 32.
Approximately 9.3% of the pregnant women reported having long COVID symptoms six months after contracting the virus.
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The most common symptoms were fatigue, dizziness and “feeling worn out” after physical or mental exertion.
Pregnant women who suffered from depression, anxiety, obesity or financial struggles were also found to be at a higher risk of long COVID, the study found, as were those who experienced severe symptoms and required oxygen after infection.
Long COVID is a condition in which symptoms of the virus persist for an extended period of time, generally three months or more.
The most common symptoms of long COVID were fatigue, dizziness and “feeling worn out” after physical or mental exertion. (iStock)
Those symptoms can include fatigue, respiratory issues and neurologic deficits (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”).
“The key takeaway for clinicians who are taking care of pregnant patients is that nearly one in 10 people who have COVID during pregnancy still have persistent symptoms six months later,” said the study’s lead author Torri D. Metz, M.D., MS, a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, in the release.
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“The trimester of infection was not associated with the development of long COVID, so it did not seem to matter when in their pregnancy people were infected.”
Next, the researchers plan to review the health outcomes of the babies who were born to mothers with long COVID.
Women who are pregnant and sick with COVID or flu should talk to their physician, a doctor recommended. (iStock)
Dr. Michael Mina, chief science officer at eMed, a digital health care platform based in Miami, was not involved in the study but said it is another reminder that “COVID is an important infection and one to take seriously, particularly when pregnant.”
He told Fox News Digital, “Long COVID symptoms can happen to anyone … While the new findings do not suggest that long COVID is more common or more likely in pregnancy, the fact is that when pregnant, it’s important to take precautions both for yourself and the health of your baby.”
“COVID is an important infection and one to take seriously, particularly when pregnant.”
During pregnancy, the body is already in a naturally immunocompromised state, largely to help the fetus survive and thrive within the mother, Mina noted.
“Immunity has to be turned down in pregnancy in order to not inadvertently harm the fetus,” he said.
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Additionally, the fetus absorbs much of the mother’s antibodies through the placenta, leading to a slight depletion of antibody protection in the pregnant woman, Mina said.
“The amount of immune compromise varies widely from person to person, but sickness during pregnancy is often a bit more risky than [in] a comparable non-pregnant individual,” he went on.
To protect one’s health during pregnancy, Mina advised taking some extra precautions, including vaccination.
“We’ve seen from years of studying flu vaccines that vaccination can be beneficial in protecting both mom and baby,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“We’ve seen from years of studying flu vaccines that vaccination can be beneficial in protecting both mom and baby,” he said.
As with influenza, Mina said, COVID can do a lot of harm to the body.
“It’s important to take it seriously,” he said.
Women who are pregnant and sick with COVID or flu should talk to their physician, the doctor recommended.
“Treatment for both has been shown to be safe during pregnancy,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for additional comment.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
CANCER SURVIVORS MAY SEE SURPRISING BENEFITS FROM ONE SPECIFIC EXERCISE, STUDY SAYS
The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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