Almost 4,000 pregnant women have taken up a Covid-19 vaccine in Scotland, with no adverse effects reported. Image These figures have been published for the first time by University of Edinburgh researchers including CRH’s Dr Sarah Stock, and Public Health Scotland. The joint study is known as Covid-19 in Pregnancy in Scotland (COPS). Please click on this link to access the complete data. Dr Sarah Stock, consultant and reader in maternal and fetal medicine at the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh and COPS co-lead, said: "We know that complications from Covid-19 while pregnant can be serious for both women and babies. For example, Covid-19 increases the risk of early birth." "It is understandable that pregnant women may be anxious about getting the Covid-19 vaccine, but I hope that the results shared today reassure women who are seeking to make informed choices for themselves and their babies." "It should also give confidence to midwives, doctors, vaccinators and others who are in a position to support them in their decision." Read one of the full press articles discussing the findings below. The Scotsman Please see a further recent news article relating to the Covid-19 vaccine rates amongst pregnant women and the increased risk of preterm birth for pregnant women who catch coronavirus: The Times You may also be interested in recent press coverage describing and discussing the preterm birth risk prediction model. To improve the prediction of impending preterm birth, CRH’s Dr Sarah Stock and colleagues developed and validated a risk prediction model. First they identified clinical risk factors for preterm labour by analysing individual data from five European prospective cohort studies, including 1,783 pregnant European women. They used this information to develop a model to predict risk of spontaneous preterm birth. Researchers validated the model in a study of 2,924 women with signs and symptoms of preterm labour from 26 consultant-led obstetric units in the UK, to demonstrate the difference between predicted and observed outcomes. The study found that using a risk prediction model that included measuring a specific protein concentration analysis alongside clinical risk factors improved the prediction of impending spontaneous preterm birth and was cost-effective in comparison to measuring the protein alone. Dr Stock said: "The vast majority of women with signs and symptoms of preterm labour don’t actually give birth early, but many receive unnecessary hospital admission just in case of preterm birth." "The risk predictor developed by our research team will help women to understand their chance of giving birth early, so they can decide whether or not to have admission and treatment." "We are now working towards linking the predictor to maternity records, so it can easily be used as part of women’s care and be continually improved as more women use it." Some of the coverage links are below: Daily Mail Express and Star Belfast Telegraph This article was published on 2024-09-10
