COVID-19 and prenatal care

Unlike earlier in the pandemic, in-person prenatal visits typically are not disrupted by COVID-19.

If you test positive for COVID-19, your healthcare professional will want to discuss your options with you. That might mean a virtual or in-person appointment to figure out how to best keep track of your health. It may help to know that in most cases, the COVID-19 infection doesn't spread to the unborn baby.

If you test positive for COVID-19 and have symptoms, your healthcare team will monitor you closely. A healthcare professional may ask about your symptoms, review your other medical conditions and determine your risk of serious illness. You may be offered medicine to block the infection from getting worse. Treatment with these medicines may be a pill that you swallow, or a liquid given through a needle into a vein.

You also may be asked to use a device to monitor your oxygen level, called a pulse oximeter.

After the infection, your healthcare professional may plan on extra imaging tests to make sure the unborn baby is growing as expected.