Parvovirus B19, a member of the Parvoviridae family, is a human pathogenic virus. It can be transmitted by respiratory secretions, hand-to-mouth contact, blood transfusion, or transplacental transmission. Most patients are asymptomatic or present with mild symptoms such as erythema infectiosum, especially in children. In rare cases, moderate-to-severe symptoms may occur, affecting blood cells and other systems, resulting in anemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. Non-immune pregnant women are at risk for fetal infection by parvovirus B19, with greater complications if transmission occurs in the first or second trimester. Infected fetuses may not show any abnormalities in most cases, but in more severe cases, there may be severe fetal anemia, hydrops, and even pregnancy loss. Maternal diagnosis of intrauterine parvovirus B19 infection includes IgG and IgM antibody testing. For fetal diagnosis, PCR is performed through amniocentesis. In addition to diagnosing the infection, it is important to monitor the peak of systolic velocity of the middle cerebral artery (PVS-MCA) Doppler to assess the presence of fetal anemia. There is no vaccine for parvovirus B19, and fetal management focuses on detecting moderate/severe anemia by fetal PVS-MCA Doppler, which, if diagnosed, should be treated with intrauterine transfusion by cordocentesis. Prevention focuses on reducing exposure in high-risk populations, particularly pregnant women.

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus infection (COVID-19) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020, there have been many concerns about pregnant women and the possible effects of this emergency with catastrophic outcomes in many countries. Information on COVID-19 and pregnancy are scarce and spread throughout a few case series, with no more than 50 cases in total. The present review provides a brief analysis of COVID-19, pregnancy in the COVID-19 era, and the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy.

Since the declaration of the global pandemic of COVID-19 by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, we have continued to see a steady rise in the number of patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, there is still very limited data on the course and outcomes of this serious infection in a vulnerable population of pregnant patients and their fetuses. International perinatal societies and institutions including SMFM, ACOG, RCOG, ISUOG, CDC, CNGOF, ISS/SIEOG, and CatSalut have released guidelines for the care of these patients. We aim to summarize these current guidelines in a comprehensive review for patients, healthcare workers, and healthcare institutions. We included 15 papers from 10 societies through a literature search of direct review of society’s websites and their journal publications up till 20 April 2020. Recommendations specific to antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum were abstracted from the publications and summarized into Tables. The summary of guidelines for the management of COVID-19 in pregnancy across different perinatal societies is fairly consistent, with some variation in the strength of recommendations. It is important to recognize that these guidelines are frequently updated, as we continue to learn more about the course and impact of COVID-19 in pregnancy.