Introduction: Pandemics are known to cause stress and anxiety in pregnant women. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown of the Danish society, pregnant women were considered to be at increased risk, and access to antenatal care changed.
Methods: On 8 April 2020A, a questionnaire was sent to 332 pregnant women previously sampled by general practitioners in two Danish regions. The women were contacted via secured e-mail (e-Boks), and questionnaires were returned until 6 May.
Results: The questionnaire was returned by 257 women (77%). More than half believed that they were at a high risk of infection with COVID-19, and a third of the women were concerned about the risk of serious disease - especially for their unborn child. Almost 90% isolated at home most of the time. The majority were worried about possible consequences of the pandemic for antenatal care, but very few had actually missed a scheduled preventive consultation with their general practitioner, and only 15% had missed an appointment with their midwife. The majority of the women preferred normal consultations and found no added safety in shifting the consultation from the normal clinical setting.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have had a major impact on Danish pregnant women. Even so, concerns were more focused on access to care than on the risk of COVID-19 infection. Contacts with the antenatal healthcare system have only been moderately affected.
Funding: TRYG Foundation and KEU, Region Copenhagen.
Trial registration: not relevant.
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