Assessment of fetal growth and anomalies in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: an Egyptian pilot study

Eltemamy, Emad; Salama, Sameh; Salem, Sondos M.; Abdel-Rasheed, Mazen; Salama, Ehab; Elsirgany, Sherif; Elnahas, Tamer

BACKGROUND: Many issues need to be studied regarding pregnant women during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess fetal growth, fetal well-being, and any observed gross anomalies that may follow SARS-CoV-2 infection in Egyptian pregnant women. During fetal anomaly scan at 22 weeks, we compared 30 pregnant women with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection at 6‑12 weeks of gestation (group A) with 60 pregnant women (group B) who had no history of SARS-CoV-2. Then, we followed them on 28 and 34 weeks of gestation with fetal biometry and Doppler study. RESULTS: Our results revealed no significant difference between both groups regarding fetal biometry, estimated fetal weight, amniotic fluid index, Doppler scan, and gross anomaly scan throughout all visits. CONCLUSION: According to the results of our pilot study, SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy was not found to increase the risk of fetal growth restriction or possible fetal gross anomalies. Nevertheless, larger-scale studies are needed to confirm those findings. Perhaps, post-SARS-CoV-2 infection pregnancies may run an uncomplicated course regarding fetal parameters.