Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42068116›Full record

SynthesisJournal of paediatrics and child health2026

Preterm Birth and Perinatal Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

S R Peart, R Haj-Yahya, M Nugent, O Ganbold, L Harbinson, Cheong Jly, B J Manley, C L Whitehead

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of paediatrics and child health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

S R PeartNeonatal Services, The Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
R Haj-YahyaDepartment of Maternal Fetal Medicine, The Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
M NugentDepartment of Paediatrics, Western Health, Melbourne, Australia.
O GanboldDepartment of Medicine, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
L HarbinsonDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Cheong JlyNeonatal Services, The Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
B J ManleyClinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia.
C L WhiteheadClinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreterm birth rates may have been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic but the impact of this on perinatal morbidity is unknown.

aimTo review the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of preterm birth and perinatal mortality.

methodsMedline, Embase, and online pre-prints were searched from Jan 2020 to Oct 2022. Case-control, cohort studies and reports comparing rates of preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal death before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period were included. The pooled odds ratio (OR) for preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal death was calculated using a random effects model. The primary outcome was the rate of preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal death in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

results100 studies were included. Compared with pre-pandemic periods, there was a decrease in preterm births during the pandemic period: OR 0.95 (95% CI 0.94-0.97) I

conclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a reduction in preterm births and neonatal deaths. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these findings. Stillbirth rates increased in low- and middle-income countries where access to healthcare may have been restricted and strategies to address this in future pandemics are warranted.

Indexed as

COVID-19Perinatal MortalityPremature BirthFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornPandemicsPregnancyStillbirthcoronavirusCOVID‐19meta‐analysisperinatal mortalitypreterm birthSARS‐CoV‐2stillbirthsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID42068116
PMCPMC13254033

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