Coronavirus

Brazil’s pandemic advice to women: don’t get pregnant

Brazil's pandemic advice to women: don't get pregnant
Pregnant woman shops in São Paulo. Photo: Nelson Antoine/Shutterstock

During a press conference on Friday, Brazil’s Secretary for Primary Care Raphael Parente advised Brazilian women to postpone their pregnancy plans “for one to two years” as a way to avoid pandemic-related risks. “We obviously can’t tell this to someone aged 42 or 43, but a young woman who can choose when to get pregnant [should know] the best for her is to wait a little longer,” said Mr. Parente, a physician with a Ph.D. in gynecology. The official said Covid-19 infections increase the prevalence of thrombosis, which can lead to high-risk pregnancies.

He compared the current situation to the 2016 Zika virus outbreak. Zika infections in pregnant women are linked to microcephaly in newborns. 

The Health Ministry’s statement goes in line with recommendations from the U.S Center for Disease Control. The CDC says pregnant women are at greater risk of developing severe coronavirus infections.