Survey series open to all pregnant women worldwide
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Woman’s Hospital recently launched a research study to examine the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on pregnant women across the United States. Open to all expecting mothers worldwide at any stage of pregnancy, it is the only study of its kind currently being performed in Louisiana and one of few in the nation.
Led by Woman’s Hospital Director of Scientific Research Elizabeth Sutton, PhD, the Pregnant During COVID-19 Survey Series will provide real-time data on how pregnant women are affected physically, mentally and sociologically during the pandemic.
“The most unique and exciting thing about this survey is that typically when research is done like this, it’s done after the fact,” Dr. Sutton explained. “This is an incredible opportunity to tell the story of how you’re doing and how it feels to be pregnant in the moment as the pandemic is occurring and as it changes.”
There are three ways that pregnant women can enroll in the study:
Participants will complete a 20-minute initial survey to collect information about their health, pregnancy, work and childcare changes, as well as feelings of stress from being pregnant during the COVID-19 outbreak. They will then receive a 10-minute follow-up survey each week until they deliver their baby to document their social distancing practices and COVID-19 symptoms, and be asked to provide updates on changes in lifestyle and mental health.
“We know from past research that being exposed to a natural disaster or stress can affect pregnancy outcomes,” said Dr. Sutton. “What this study lets us do is look for these kinds of trends, while giving a voice to all pregnant women who are living through the pandemic and letting her tell her story.”
Participation is voluntary and can be discontinued at any time.
For more information, visit www.womans.org/covidresearch.