Am J Infect Control

Background To determine the physiological and subjective effects of wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (N95 FFR) in advanced stages of pregnancy. Methods Healthy pregnant women (n = 22) and nonpregnant women (n = 22) had physiological and subjective measurements taken with and without wearing an N95 FFR during exercise and postural sedentary activities over a 1-hour period. Results There were no differences between the pregnant and nonpregnant women with respect to heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, transcutaneous carbon dioxide level, chest wall temperature, aural temperature, and subjective perceptions of exertion and thermal comfort. No significant effect on fetal heart rate was noted. Conclusions Healthy pregnant women wearing an N95 FFR for 1 hour during exercise and sedentary activities did not exhibit any significant differences in measured physiological and subjective responses compared with nonpregnant women.

25278401

PMC4469179

CDC Public Access