Vertical Transmission of Coronavirus in Obstetrics: A Myth or Truth?

In obstetrics, the maternal immune system plays a critical role in the establishment and maintenance of a healthy pregnancy. The immune response of the placenta plays important role in determining a maternal vulnerability toward infectious diseases. The various adverse outcome, ranging from preterm birth, injury to the fetal brain cortex and fetal death are all documented in infected neonates. In obstetrics, viral infections can be either transmitted through the in-utero, intrapartum, and postpartum periods. Nevertheless, with the recent pandemic of coronavirus and some documented cases of a positively infected neonate, it is becoming more apparent that the mode of transmission of coronavirus during pregnancy needs to be better understood. This review focuses on revealing the possible modes of transmission of the coronavirus in obstetrics.