News: U.S. maternal death rates jumped 28% in five years, study finds

Maternal death rates in the U.S. increased nearly 28% from 2018 to 2022, according to a study recently published in JAMA Network Open. Over the five-year study period, pregnancy-related deaths increased from 25.3 deaths to 32.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, with a total of 6,238 pregnancy-related deaths that were reported among women ages 15 to 54, Becker Hospital Review reported.

Researchers used information from a CDC database and found that cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of overall pregnancy-related death. Cancer, drug-induced and alcohol-induced death, and mental and behavior disorders were also notable contributing causes.

Notably, researchers told The New York Times that about one-third of the deaths occurred more than six weeks after childbirth, underscoring the need for wider access to maternal care up to a full year after birth. 

The study showed large disparities in maternal death rates by race and ethnicity. Pregnancy-related deaths were highest among Native American and Alaskan Native Women with 106.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, which was 3.8 times higher than the rate among non-Hispanic white women. The second highest rate was among Black women with 76.9 deaths per 100,000 births, which was 2.8 times higher than the rate among non-Hispanic white women.

There were also disparities by region, with Southeastern states showing the highest rates. For instance, Alabama had the highest maternal death rate, 59.7 deaths per 100,000 live births. On the other hand, California had the lowest rate, 18.5 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Editor’s note: To read Becker’s Hospital Review’s coverage of this story, click here. To access the JAMA Network Open study, click here.