In the United States, pregnancy-related deaths have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, new government knowledge suggests.
About 680 women died last year during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, according to initial CDC data. This is down from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021, when it was the highest point in more than 50 years.
COVID-19 appears to be the main explanation for this improvement, said Donna Hoyert, a maternal mortality researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The coronavirus can be especially harmful to pregnant women. And, in the worst days of the pandemic, exhausted doctors would arguably be at greater risk if they ignored the concerns of pregnant women, experts say.
Fewer death certificates cite COVID-19 as a contributing factor to pregnancy-related deaths. The count was more than 400 in 2021, but fewer than 10 last year, Hoyert said.
The company released a report on Thursday detailing final data on maternal mortality for 2022. It also recently released provisional data for 2023. Se expects these figures to be updated after further research: the final figure for 2022 is 11% higher than the provisional figure. Still, 2023 is expected to end in less than 2022, Hoyert said.
The CDC counts women who die during pregnancy, childbirth, and up to 42 days after birth from illnesses thought to be pregnancy-related. The main causes are excessive bleeding, clogged blood vessels, and infections.
According to provisional data, there were around 19 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in 2023, which is in line with the rates seen in 2018 and 2019.
But racial disparities persist: The death rate for black mothers is more than two-and-a-half times higher than that of white and Hispanic mothers.
“Over the past five years, we have not been successful in reducing the maternal mortality rate in our country, so there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Ashley Stoneburner, director of implemented studies and studies at the March of Dimes.
The advocacy organization launched an educational campaign this week to inspire more pregnant women to take low-dose aspirin if they are at risk for preeglempsia, a serious blood pressure disorder that can harm both mother and baby.
There are other efforts that could reduce deaths and persistent pregnancy-related fitness problems, adding greater efforts to fight infections and blood loss, said Dr. Harris. Laura Riley, a New York-based obstetrician who cares for high-risk patients. Pregnancies.
But there is a threat that this kind of improvement will be offset by a number of points that could reduce women’s ability to get medical care before and after childbirth, she said. Experts say the list includes the closure of rural hospitals and a 2022 deadline. U. S. Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the federally established right to abortion and contributed to physician burnout by forcing them to feel stressed to provide care in pregnancy-related medical emergencies.
“I think it’s good news. We’re making progress in some areas,” said Riley, manager of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine. “But the bad news, which is scary, is. . . that there are other political and social forces. “that make this task (reducing maternal deaths) more difficult. “