CNN
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The vast majority of deaths in pregnant women and new mothers in the United States are preventable, according to a new report.
For more than four-fifths of women who die during pregnancy, childbirth, or within a year after delivery—more than 84 percent—deaths are preventable if a health care provider, community, patient, or others make “reasonable changes” of.
Data released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is based on a detailed assessment of more than 1,000 pregnancy-related deaths between 2017 and 2019.
This analysis documents Roe v. Wade and federal abortion rights before the Covid-19 pandemic and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned. Since then, maternal mortality in the U.S. has gotten worse.
A study published in June found that in the first year of the pandemic, maternal mortality rates soared, especially among Hispanic and black women.
The researchers found that between April 2020 and December 2020, there were 25 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with a rate of 19 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in the previous two years. , an increase of 33%.
When it comes to maternal mortality, the US is an outlier, many times higher than other rich countries. Black American women are three times more likely to die than white American women, and Native American women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.
“Too many women experience pain, neglect and pain during what should be the happiest time of their lives,” Vice President Kamala Harris wrote in a letter introducing the Biden administration’s “blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis.” Lost.” in June.
The plan has five key goals to make the U.S. “the best country in the world to have children,” including better maternal health data, a diverse healthcare workforce, caring for women before and after childbirth, and better access to Nursing, including behavioral and mental health.
The data released Monday by the CDC is based on an analysis by the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which is designed to help determine recommendations to prevent deaths.
They found that about half of all pregnancy-related deaths (53%) occurred more than a week after birth. About one in five (22%) women die during pregnancy and about one in eight (13%) die on the day of childbirth.
Mental health conditions are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, accounting for more than one in five deaths among pregnant women and new mothers. Heart disease was the most common cause of death for black women, while bleeding was the most common cause for Asian women.
Based on these findings, examples of prevention recommendations made by the review committee include better access to insurance to improve antenatal care and post-conception follow-up, better transportation options, and better referral and coordination systems.
“Everyone can help prevent pregnancy-related deaths,” the CDC said in a news release.
“Healthcare systems, communities, families and other support systems need to be aware of serious pregnancy-related complications that can occur during and after pregnancy. Listen to the concerns of people who are pregnant and who became pregnant last year and help them get the care they need.”