Covid Placentitis

[GracieHeart]

Hello,

I wanted to put this post out as I'm feeling very alone, lost and uncertain.
About a year and a half ago i gave birth to my daughter. I was 35 weeks and got hit for the first time with covid, unvaccinated.

For around 2 weeks everything was fine, it was just like any other flu, but then she stopped moving and i couldn't feel hardly any kicking. I went in to hospital around 37 weeks and they said everything looked okay, i went home but the movements got less and less. I went back into hospital the next day and they discovered her heart rate was dropping fast and not recovering, i was then quickly scheduled for an emergency cesarean and had my baby 15 minutes later. She came out a bit tired they said but healthy, then the doctors looked at the placenta and said it looked "very gnarly" I was told it would be sent off to a special study for 'Covid Placentitis'.

My daughter is a very healthy 16 month old now. I feel so blessed every day for her in my life. We started TTC about two months ago now and i got pregnant straight away, we were so excited. I was 5 weeks along and they found a large hematoma and baby measuring small. At 7 weeks i miscarried.
I then got a call that the results for the placenta arrived and it was confirmed that i had gotten covid placentitis and i now need to do all these blood tests and that any future pregnancies should closely monitored....

There are no studies about long term complications with covid placentitis because its still so new, and this is was scares me. I find it so bizarre that at 27 years old and healthier then ever i had a hematoma and miscarriage.
So that's why i want to start this thread and try to reach out to anyone else that experienced covid placentitis? and if they are now having difficulty conceiving as well?

I really would love to have some reassurance....There is hardly any information out there on this and know one seems to have any answers. I feel as though to be the only one with this and im so scared that its going to affect future pregnancies.

Honestly, these things could be entirely unrelated. It is not uncommon for a pregnancy to end in miscarriage, especially early in pregnancy, and also very unlikely anything could have been done to prevent this. I know that doesn’t make it any less distressing, but whilst we don’t know how covid in pregnancy will affect future pregnancies, we also don’t know that it will have an effect at all! Sending best wishes for your future pregnancies.

@Peekingovertheparapet
Thank you for this.
Has given me some peace tonight.
Maybe they are not related.
Just scary having this thing that is so rare and they don't know anything about.
And then reading about long covid.
And thinking what if i have long covid but in my uterus.
Anyway thank you for your reassuring reply.
G

I’m sorry for your loss OP.

sadly 1 in 4 pregnancies end in a loss. It is a shocking statistic. It could be entirely unrelated and the degradation of your placenta could be due to the viral infection you had there and then rather than it affecting future pregnancies iykwim?

im very pleased you listened to your body and had your baby safely. Good luck with ttc, I hope it goes smoothly for you x

I'm so sorry you went through that, it must have been so scary. Very glad your little girl arrived safely and is thriving.
Do you mind if I ask if you're now fully vaccinated? It's one thing that you can control to try to keep yourself and future baby safe in pregnancy, amidst all the things that you can't be in control of.

As above posters have stated, miscarriages are extremely common even in perfectly healthy people, so I wouldn't take your miscarriage as an indicator that you now can't carry healthy pregnancies. Hope you manage to conceive again quickly and have a healthy pregnancy.

I had covid placentitis with my last pregnancy. My story is very similar to yours. Got covid, baby stopped moving, needed out via section. He was only 34 weeks so we had an extended NICU stay and I was vaccinated so can’t imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been. Placenta was sent out for testing and had started to die. They never confirmed if it was secondary to covid because these things ‘just happen’ sometimes.

They never mentioned anything about future pregnancies being any riskier so I wouldn’t automatically think your miscarriage is linked to covid. As everyone said, miscarriages are so common. I’ve had 3 myself and I’m sorry you’ve had to go through one. Good luck with the next pregnancy!

I'm very interested in your story. I had my baby Feb 2022, I had covid at 35 weeks, fully vaccinated, wasn't really unwell at the time- just cold like.
At 37 weeks a routine consultant appointment for GD caught alarmingly high blood pressure having had nothing even slightly high all pregnancy till then. There were also concerns that my blood sugar numbers were indicating the placenta may have been starting to fail. I was admitted to hospital with the plan for a c-section in the morning. That night I had a bleed and was rushed for an emergency c-section.

I have always wondered if covid played any part- it seemed a strange coincidence that my blood pressure totally randomly spiked after that. I hadn't linked the potential issue with the placenta but I'm now wondering about that too.
Not that it matters to be honest- DD is perfectly healthy and has been since day 1. I also don't plan to have any more so that doesn't really matter to me. However it is interesting.

I had my pregnancies before covid but I've had three miscarriages and a haematoma in my second successful pregnancy. Whilst I appreciate your condition may be rare, I don't think haematoma's or miscarriages are unfortunately.

@JeepersCreeperrs
Thank you, yes your most likely right. Just scary to think if it keeps happening. But there is no way of knowing unless you try.
I'm feeling more and more positive about it all.

@MithrilCostsMore

Yes your right.
More and more I'm realizing that so many women go through this and its just a part of mother nature.

Its just difficult in the moment you think why is this happening?? is it something ive done or somethings gone wrong?

And then finding out what happened with covid and my last pregnancy, fear starts to creep in and i overthink it all. Seeing how they are discovering new things about this virus with long covid and all that. Its scary. But all i can do is stay positive and trust my body is healthy and strong.

Thank you
Grace

@Cuwins

It could have had to do with covid placentitis as well, obviously im not a doctor though and there is no way to know for certain unless they did tests and had a specialist look.
They also saying that it affects women more in the third trimester because the placenta is bigger and covid seems to go to anywhere with lots of blood vessels like lungs, brain, etc.
I don't understand why it only happens to some women and not others vaccinated or unvaccinated. very bizarre.
I just really hope its finished now and wont be affecting any future pregnancies.
Its hard to not worry.

@alittleadvicepls

So nice to find someone else that had a similar situation!
This makes me feel so much less alone.
Also reassuring to hear all these posters with miscarriage stories and that its common.
In the moment i just let fear take over and jump to conclusions.
The only thing that worries me now is the doctor over the phone very grumpily told me i better not get covid again in this next pregnancy..but im not about to quarantine for 9 months.
So thats kinda scary. People still getting covid i think
Anyway thank you for your reply
Grace