Pregnancy complications during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case for understanding genetic conflict in pregnancy

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, many pregnancy complications experienced unexplained changes in frequency worldwide. Despite the lack of consensus in the medical community, we propose that behavioral changes required during pandemic lockdowns influenced the manifestation of underlying genetic conflict and contributed to the observed changes in the frequency of pregnancy complications. A better understanding of the genetic conflict that underlies these complications can offer researchers and practitioners potential explanations for these changes as well as insights into the treatment of these complications. Here, we provide an overview of genetic conflict theory, summarize the changes in pregnancy complications during the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide insight into how the public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic potentially influenced the genetic conflict that underlies these pregnancy complications.