UPDATED INFORMATION: For the most updated medical information on the Covid-19 coronavirus and implications of the pandemic for intended parents, see this report from Dr. Said Daneshmand of San Diego Fertility Center, published on April 16, 2020.

With the states of California and New York leading a cascade of stringent shutdowns and a national shutdown looming, and as concerns about travel restrictions and postponed procedures rise, intended parents and surrogates are also asking about potential health risks to pregnant surrogates and babies during the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic. 

The medical advice on this is changing daily and not much is known yet about the effect on pregnancy. However, a study from the city of Wuhan in China (admittedly a small study) suggests COVID-19 is not transmitted from birth mother to baby.

In addition, the results of this study are consistent with retrospective reports from two research teams published in the journals Translational Pediatrics on February 10 and The Lancet on February 12, which studied nine mothers and their newborns in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, during the outbreak, and found no evidence that the virus could cross the placenta and infect babies during pregnancy.

Here is a message from our colleague Dr. Said Daneshmand of San Diego Fertility Center discussing these findings: https://youtu.be/fpdu2KNDme4.