Maternal deaths in the United States have seen a slight increase in the past couple of years but there is an indication that the significant rise in the mortality rates occurred during the first year of the COVID pandemic.
These maternal deaths are related to pregnancy or within 42 days after the end of the pregnancy or childbirth. According to the new National Center for Health Statistics report from the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention, from 658 overall maternal deaths related to pregnancy or childbirth in 2018, the numbers rose to 861 in 2020.
Maternal deaths in the United States
Based on the report, the 861 maternal deaths in the United States recorded in 2020 is equivalent to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2018, the rate was 17.4 deaths while the rate in 2019 increased to 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. Although the COVID-19 pandemic was not stated explicitly in the report, the author said that the pandemic is likely a factor for the increase of maternal deaths in 2020.
Dr. Denise Jamieson, an obstetrician from Atlanta and a member of a group of COVID experts said that they expected an increase in maternal deaths when the lockdowns commenced. She was not surprised by the observed increase. She also said that the maternal deaths were not just due to COVID but also due to the responses to COVID.
Although the details in the said report was sparse, experts said that some of the deaths were most likely related to the pandemic. Since pregnancy puts women at a higher risk, they are more prone to severe diseases when they are infected with the COVID-19 virus. In addition, the vaccines were not yet available during the early period of 202.
The contribution of COVID-19 to the increase in maternal deaths in the US has not been conclusively established yet and according to the National Center for Health Statistics, more research must be conducted in order to determine the role of the pandemic in these reported maternal deaths.
Race and Ethnicity Matters
In addition, according to CNN health, federal reports show race and ethnicity were factors as maternal deaths among Black women was three times higher than that of White women. Maternal deaths among Black women in 2020 accounted for 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births which was a 26% increase from 2019 while the rate among White women was 19.1 deaths.
According to ABC News, the increase of maternal deaths from 2019 to 2020 was more significant among Black and Hispanic women compared to White women.
In addition, the report from CDC's Division of Vital Statistics show that maternal death rates also increased with age. There were only 14 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births among women who were younger than 25 while deaths among women who were 40 years and older was 7.8 times higher than women below 25 years of age.
Maternal deaths in the United States is the highest among developed nations and while these are rising, the trends tend to be declining in most countries.
