The effects of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on fetal movement profiles.
COVID-19 pandemic lockdown
Fetal movement profile
Mental health
Natural light exposure
Pregnancy
Journal
BMC pregnancy and childbirth
ISSN: 1471-2393
Titre abrégé: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
Pays: England
ID NLM: 100967799
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024
Historique:
received:
10
09
2023
accepted:
04
01
2024
medline:
12
1
2024
pubmed:
12
1
2024
entrez:
11
1
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The current study investigated the direct impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on fetal movements, addressing a critical research gap. While previous research has predominantly examined the effects of lockdown on maternal health and postnatal outcomes, little attention has been paid to the direct consequences on fetal well-being as indicated by their movement profile. We conducted analysis of movement profiles in 20 healthy fetuses during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (third national UK lockdown period between January and March 2021) and compared them with 20 healthy fetuses from pre-covid pregnancies, all at 32 weeks gestation. We controlled for maternal stress, depression, and anxiety. Pregnant mothers during pre-covid compared with those during the COVID-19 lockdown reported similar levels of stress (p = 0.47), depression (p = 0.15), and anxiety (p = 0.07). Their fetuses, however, differed in their movement profiles with mouth movement frequencies significantly higher during COVID-19 lockdown (COVID-19 lockdown: mean of 5.909) compared to pre-Covid pregnancies (mean of 3.308; p = 0.029). Furthermore, controlling for maternal anxiety a regression analysis indicated that frequency of fetal mouth movements (p = 0.017), upper face movements (p = 0.008), and touch movements (p = 0.031) were all significantly higher in fetuses observed during lockdown compared to fetuses before the Covid period. Fetuses show an effect of lockdown independent of maternal anxiety, stress, or depression. These findings contribute to our understanding of fetal development during extraordinary circumstances, raising questions about the potential effects of having to stay indoors during lockdowns.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38212680
doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06259-8
pii: 10.1186/s12884-024-06259-8
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
56Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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