ABSTRACT
Background: The effect of psychiatric comorbidity on pregnancy outcome among SARS-CoV-2 positive women with asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic infections remains largely unknown Methods: Electronic medical records of all pregnant women who received care at Mayo Health System and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) from March 2020 through October 2021 were reviewed Results: Among 789 patients, 34.2% (n=270) had psychiatric comorbidity. Of those, 62.2% (n=168) had depression prior to pregnancy and 5.2% (n=14) reported new onset depression during pregnancy. Anxiety diagnosis was present in 65.6% (n=177) prior to pregnancy and new onset anxiety in 4.4% (n=12). Thirteen percent of SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women (n=108) received a psychotropic medication during pregnancy. In addition, 6.7% (n=18) and 10.7% (n=29) of pregnant women with psychiatric comorbidity had a documented nicotine, cannabis and/ or illicit substance use during and prior to pregnancy, respectively. Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women with psychiatric comorbidity had significantly higher risk for cesarean delivery [35.6% vs.24.9%). Conclusion(s): In conclusion, the prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and prescribed antidepressant medications during pregnancy among asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected women were substantially higher than average, which negatively impacted on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, Pregnancy, Depression, AnxietyCopyright © 2023