U.S. Pregnancy-Related Deaths Drop to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Recent data from the government suggests that pregnancy-related deaths in the United States have decreased to levels seen before the pandemic.
Approximately 680 women passed away last year during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, based on provisional CDC data. This number is a decline from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021, which marked the highest level in over five decades.
Donna Hoyert, a maternal mortality researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, attributes the improvement mainly to COVID-19.
The coronavirus poses a significant risk to pregnant women. Moreover, during the peak of the pandemic, exhausted healthcare providers may have exacerbated the danger by disregarding the concerns of pregnant women, experts suggest.
Notably, fewer death certificates are citing COVID-19 as a factor in pregnancy-related deaths. While the count exceeded 400 in 2021, it was fewer than 10 last year, as per Hoyert.
The CDC recently published a report outlining the final maternal mortality data for 2022. Additionally, provisional data for 2023 has been made available. These figures are subject to change following further analysis — the final count for 2022 was 11% higher than the initial estimate. Nevertheless, Hoyert anticipates that 2023 will show a decrease from 2022.
According to the CDC, women who pass away while pregnant, during childbirth, or up to 42 days after birth from conditions related to pregnancy are counted in maternal death statistics. Leading causes include excessive bleeding, blood vessel blockages, and infections.
Provisional data for 2023 shows there were approximately 19 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, a rate consistent with that of 2018 and 2019.
However, racial disparities persist: the death rate among Black mothers is more than two-and-a-half times higher than that of white and Hispanic mothers.
"In the last five years, we've really not improved on lowering the maternal death rate in our country, so there's still a lot of work to do," said Ashley Stoneburner, the March of Dimes' director of applied research and analytics.
The March of Dimes has launched an education campaign to encourage more pregnant women to consider taking low-dose aspirin if they are at risk of preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that can be harmful to both the mother and baby.
Dr. Laura Riley, a New York City-based obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies, mentioned that there are other initiatives that may be contributing to the reduction of deaths and long-term health issues related to pregnancy. These efforts include intensified measures to combat infections and address blood loss.
Despite some improvements in maternal care, there are concerns that women's access to medical services before, during, and after childbirth may be hindered by various factors. These include the closure of rural hospitals and a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that overturned the federally protected right to abortion. This decision has also led to physician burnout as doctors feel restricted in providing care for pregnancy-related emergencies.
"While there have been positive developments in certain areas, the challenges are significant," stated Riley, the head OB-GYN at Weill Cornell Medicine. "The presence of political and social obstacles makes the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates more challenging and worrisome."
