Pregnancy-related deaths in the United States have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, new government data suggests.
About 680 women died last year while pregnant or shortly after giving birth, according to preliminary CDC data. This is down from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021, when it was the highest level in more than 50 years.
COVID-19 appears to be the main explanation for the improvement, said Donna Hoyert, a maternal mortality researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.S. BIRTHS SEE NOTICEABLE DECLINE IN 2023, MARKING END OF LATE PANDEMIC REBOUND, EXPERTS SAY
The coronavirus can be particularly dangerous for pregnant women. And, in the worst days of the pandemic, exhausted doctors may have increased the risk by ignoring pregnant women’s concerns, experts say.
Fewer death certificates list COVID-19 as a contributing factor in pregnancy-related deaths. The count was above 400 in 2021 but below 10 last year, Hoyert said.
The agency released a report on Thursday detailing final maternal mortality data for 2022. It also recently released preliminary data for 2023. These numbers are expected to change after further analysis – the final figure for 2022 was 11% higher than the provisional figure. Still, 2023 is expected to finish down compared to 2022, Hoyert said.
A room in the maternity ward of a Mississippi hospital, October 11, 2012. By 2023, pregnancy-related deaths in the United States have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, file)
The CDC counts women who die during pregnancy, during childbirth, and up to 42 days after birth from illnesses considered pregnancy-related. Excessive bleeding, blood vessel blockages and infections are the main causes.
There were approximately 19 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to provisional data. This corresponds to the rates observed in 2018 and 2019.
But racial disparities remain: The mortality rate for black mothers is more than two and a half times higher than that of white and Hispanic mothers.
“Over the last five years, we really haven’t been able to reduce the maternal mortality rate in our country, so there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Ashley Stoneburner, director of applied research and analysis of the March of Dimes.
The advocacy organization launched an education campaign this week to get more pregnant women to consider taking low-dose aspirin if they are at risk of preeclectsia – a high blood pressure disorder that can harm both mother and baby.
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There are other efforts that could help reduce pregnancy-related deaths and lingering health problems, including increased efforts to fight infections and combat blood loss, said Dr. Laura Riley, an obstetrician based in New York who cares for high-risk patients. pregnancies.
But there is a risk that this type of improvement will be offset by a number of factors that could reduce women’s ability to seek treatment…
