Program

Nurse-Midwifery M.S.

Number of Pages

57

Year Approved

2026

First Advisor

Julie Ann Vingers

Second Reader

Rebecca D'Addosio Smith

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic presented the medical community with complex and novel challenges, not the least of which is how to optimize prenatal and postnatal care for pregnant individuals who have been infected. At present, seven years have elapsed, and despite definitive research demonstrating adverse outcomes associated with placental changes, no professional consensus has been reached.
Methods: This integrative review includes studies involving pregnant individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, who recovered during the same pregnancy, and their infants. An examination of the data available reveals a triad of placental pathologies (chronic histiocytic intervillositis, perivillous fibrin deposition, and trophoblast necrosis) that led directly to placental insufficiency. The syncytiotrophoblasts are a primary target of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the placenta. MVM & FVM, as well as inflammatory lesions, are also commonly found in the placentas of mothers infected with COVID-19. Liver injury varies greatly in the infected pregnant population; more notably, infection during pregnancy increases the likelihood of preeclampsia by threefold. Maternal health concerns are also at increased risk due to the isolation and additional stressors associated with infection.

Degree Name

M.S. Nurse-Midwifery

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Terms of Use and License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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