COVID-19 symptoms might be severe, and chances of pregnancy risks are higher for pregnant women, according to new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC noted that pregnant women infected with the coronavirus have a greater risk of losing the pregnancy or having a stillbirth.

The new findings are consistent with earlier reports of pregnant women having an increased risk of severe illness when infected with COVID-19.

The report was released on Wednesday. It studied 598 pregnant women hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection from the dates between March and August.

Out of the 445 live births, 12.6 percent were premature births, which means they were born before 37 weeks. Preterm births happened in 23.1 percent of symptomatic women, and eight percent of asymptomatic women.

The CDC found that preterm births were three times more common in symptomatic patients than those who were asymptomatic. Around 10 patients experience either a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The report noted that it "likely underestimates the percentage of pregnancy losses that occur among women with COVID-19." Five of the pregnancy losses occurred after 20 weeks into the pregnancy.

The CDC's recent report relates to the research published in JAMA earlier this year. The study noted higher instances of preterm labor and cesarean sections among those with COVID-19 infections and significantly higher occurrences of stillbirths during the pandemic at a London hospital.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said it is reviewing the CDC's latest report. ACOG is one of the nation's leading medical professional groups.

Christopher Zahn, ACOG's vice president of practice activities, said that the pandemic continues to be rapidly changing the situation.

Meanwhile, pregnant Black and Latino patients were seen to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to the CDC. This would be related to higher overall maternal mortality rates for Black women.

The CDC recommends that pregnant women have a 30-day supply of all needed medication, attend prenatal checkups, and consult healthcare to stay healthy during the pandemic.

A published study in the journal of Nature Communications last July confirmed that babies can get the virus while still in the womb.

A 23-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19, and after doctors performed a cesarean section, they found that the baby has been infected by the virus too.

However, some experts warned that the findings might not represent all pregnant women who contracted the virus because the data were drawn from a relatively small number of patients, including many hospitalized women.

Pregnancy may make women more vulnerable to infection and severe illness for several reasons. The immune system is suppressed during pregnancy, a response designed to prevent adverse reactions to the fetus, and this increases the mother's susceptibility to viral infections.

Other physiological changes during pregnancy may increase pregnant women's vulnerability.

"We now have data from three separate CDC surveillance systems all suggesting that pregnant women may be at increased risk for severe disease from Covid-19," Dr. Denise Jamieson, a member of the Covid-19 task force, said in a report. 

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