Pregnancy Linked to Lower Risk of Long COVID, Study Shows

Thank you. Listen to this article using the player above. ✖

Pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be less likely to develop Long COVID than non-pregnant individuals of similar demographic backgrounds, according to a large retrospective analysis published in Nature Communications on April 1. The research addresses a notable gap in understanding Long COVID outcomes among those who contract the virus during pregnancy.

Long COVID

A condition characterized by lingering symptoms following recovery from acute COVID-19. These can include fatigue, cognitive impairment, respiratory issues and other systemic symptoms that persist beyond three months.

The study was conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Utah Health and Louisiana Public Health Institute, and examined electronic health record data from approximately 72,000 pregnant women and 208,000 non-pregnant controls.

Data drawn from national health databases

The analysis incorporated data from the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), part of the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER initiative. Researchers tracked patient records for signs of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection – commonly referred to as Long COVID – at least 180 days after recovery from the initial infection.

Long COVID symptoms included a broad spectrum of complications such as cognitive impairment, encephalopathy, sleep disturbances, shortness of breath, chest pain and metabolic disruptions. Criteria for defining Long COVID varied slightly between the datasets but showed consistent trends.

In the PCORnet dataset, about 16% of pregnant individuals developed symptoms consistent with Long COVID, compared to approximately 19% of non-pregnant individuals. Similar results were observed in the N3C dataset.

“This population is so important and vulnerable, but we had no evidence about their Long COVID risk to guide their care.”

Dr. Chengxi Zang.

Some pregnant subgroups at increased risk

Although the overall risk was lower for those pregnant during infection, the researchers noted that certain groups of pregnant individuals had higher relative risk than others. These included women aged 35 and older, individuals identifying as Black and those with obesity or other metabolic disorders.

Metabolic disorders
Health disorders that affect the body’s ability to process energy and nutrients. These include obesity, diabetes and related syndromes, which are known risk factors for more severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Despite these subgroup differences, Long COVID incidence remained lower in pregnant individuals than in their non-pregnant counterparts across all categories analyzed.

Postpartum immune changes may play a role

One hypothesis proposed by the researchers is that immune and inflammatory changes during and after pregnancy may influence Long COVID susceptibility. The postpartum immune environment, which can remain altered for up to six weeks, might offer some level of protection.

Postpartum immune environment

Refers to the state of the immune system after childbirth. Hormonal and inflammatory changes continue during this period, potentially influencing responses to infection and recovery.

The researchers suggest that additional studies could help clarify how factors such as the trimester of infection influence Long COVID outcomes. Ongoing projects are also evaluating whether commonly used medications might be repurposed to protect pregnant individuals from developing prolonged symptoms.

Reference: Zang C, Guth D, Bruno AM, et al. Long COVID after SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy in the United States. Nat Comm. 2025;16(1):3005. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57849-9

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here.

This content includes text that has been generated with the assistance of AI. Technology Networks’ AI policy can be found here.