government site. eCollection 2023. endobj However, some pregnant women will doubt the reliability of such online information. Doctors in France reported what they believe to be the first confirmed case of a baby contracting COVID-19 in utero. Queensland Health. Careers. Moreover, more than half considered or decided to cancel their in-hospital antenatal care visits and postponed their appointments. Despite an overall positive perception of the necessity of antenatal care, utilization has been inadequate in more than half of the respondents. However, with limited understanding of the effects of COVID-19 during pregnancy, clinicians and patients are forced to make uninformed decisions. MeSH 2020;88 During the pandemic, patients completed toxicology testing slightly earlier in their pregnancies (before pandemic mean, 8.51 weeks gestation; during pandemic mean, 8.04 weeks gestation). Pregnant women who fall into this group are advised to attend only those GPs and hospital visits, which are necessary (10). Midwifery 2013 Jul;29(7):730-735. Moreover, some specific antenatal examinations such as the Nuchal Translucency test, Down syndrome screening, and the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test should be completed in a hospital. Antenatal care; COVID-19; maternity care; social support; stress-reduction. This would allow monitoring for serious pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia. Disclaimer. Considering the dilemma mentioned above and the fear of some other unknowns from hospital visits, online antenatal care might be a preferable choice for pregnant women during this pandemic [7]. Am J Obstet Gynecol. United States. , Ko Online antenatal care can provide relatively less expensive medical services and diminish inequalities in health care due to its convenience and cost-effectiveness, especially in developing countries or regions. Factors affecting the mental health of pregnant women using UK maternity services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study. Learn more about the risks of COVID-19 during pregnancy. Perth: Government of Western Australia Department of Health; 2020. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2020;00:17 2020. Fryer K, Delgado A, Foti T, Reid CN, Marshall J. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2015 Jun 05;3(2):e44 [, Feroz A, Perveen S, Aftab W. Role of mHealth applications for improving antenatal and postnatal care in low and middle income countries: a systematic review. Akinwunmi, Casper J P It is recommended if positive COVID-19 is confirmed (7,8). Therefore, it is necessary to provide appropriate antenatal care models for pregnant women depending on their circumstances and available facilities, in order to prevent its complications in the current pandemic. endstream endobj startxref Women Birth 2013 Mar;26(1):e5-e8 [, Ho PL, Tang XP, Seto WH. Huang, Shinning You need JavaScript enabled to view it 2020;136:3741. How the COVID-19 pandemic brings not only opportunities for the development and popularization of online antenatal care programs but also challenges is reported. Cannabis tax revenues. The site is secure. , Medical and Nonmedical Cannabis Use Among Pregnant Women in the United States.