A recent study has cast doubt on the accuracy of maternal death reporting by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggesting that flawed record-keeping may be contributing to a spike in maternal mortality rates across the United States. Maternal death, defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination from causes related to or aggravated by pregnancy, is a serious public health concern.
Common causes of maternal mortality include bleeding, infection, heart disease, suicide, and drug overdose. However, a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology highlighted the misuse of a checkbox on death certificates as a potential factor leading to inaccurate reporting of maternal deaths.
Analysis of data from 1999 to 2002 and 2018 to 2021 revealed stable mortality rates at just over 10 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. However, the CDC reported an increase in maternal mortality rates per live birth from 2018 to 2020, coinciding with changes in the requirements for using the checkbox on death certificates, limiting deaths to women ages 15 to 44.
Maternal deaths disproportionately affect Black mothers, with Black women facing the highest rates of maternal mortality. In Arkansas, for example, a state report showed that Black women are twice as likely to experience maternal mortality than white women. The National Center for Health Statistics concluded that the cause of death in non-Hispanic Black women was more likely due to ectopic pregnancy, cardiovascular conditions, and other diseases.
Shockingly, an increase in maternal deaths among non-Hispanic White women was also reported, with fatal cardiomyopathy being disproportionately common among non-Hispanic Black women. The study’s findings underscore the urgent need for improved maternal health monitoring and accurate reporting to address the concerning rise in maternal mortality rates in the U.S.
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