ArticleArchives of gynecology and obstetrics2024
Changes in the rate of preterm infants during the COVID-19 pandemic Lockdown Period-data from a large tertiary German University Center.
Article in Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The association of COVID-19 lockdowns with adverse birth and pregnancy outcomes in 28 high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of maternal HIV infection on pregnancy and labor complication and perinatal health outcomes: a South African retrospective study.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2026Article
- Collaborative Efforts in Pediatric Surgery: Lessons from European Randomized Controlled Trials.European journal of pediatric surgery : official journal of Austrian Association of Pediatric Surgery ... [et al] = Zeitschrift fur Kinderchirurgie · 2025Review
- The impact of changes in health policies caused by COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes in Iran during health crises: A retrospective quasi-experimental study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Analysis of Vaginal Microbiota Variations in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy and Their Correlation with Preterm Birth: A Case-Control Study.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Editorial: SARS-CoV-2: implications for maternal-fetal-infant and perinatal mortality, morbidity, pregnancy outcomes and well-being.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
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Abstract
purposeAfter living with the COVID-19 pandemic for more than 2 years, the impact of lockdown measures on preterm birth rates is inconsistent according to data from different countries. In this study, rates of preterm-born infants during the time of COVID-19-related lockdowns were analyzed in a tertiary perinatal center at Munich University, Germany.
methodsWe analyzed the number of preterm births, infants, and stillbirths before 37 weeks of gestation during the German COVID-19 lockdown period compared to the same time periods in the years 2018 and 2019 combined. Additionally, we expanded the analysis to Pre- and Post-Lockdown Periods in 2020 compared to the respective control periods in the years 2018 and 2019.
resultsOur database shows a reduction in the rate of preterm infants during the COVID-19 lockdown period (18.6%) compared to the combined control periods in 2018 and 2019 (23.2%, p = 0.027). This was mainly based on a reduced rate of preterm multiples during the lockdown period (12.8% vs. 28.9%, p = 0.003) followed by a reversed effect showing a threefold rise in multiple births after the lockdown. In singletons, the rate of preterm births was not reduced during the lockdown. The rate of stillbirths was not affected by the lockdown measures as compared to the control period (0.9% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.750).
conclusionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, we found a reduced rate of preterm-born infants compared to a combined control period in the years 2018 and 2019 in our large tertiary University Center in Germany. Due to the predominant reduction in preterm multiples, we postulate that less physical activity might have led to the protective effect by lockdown measures.
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