Despite the revised figures, Black women continue to experience pregnancy-related deaths far more than other groups, researchers said.
March 13, 2024 -- Rates of maternal mortality in the United States are lower than previous estimates – yet still higher than other developed countries, according to a studyResearchers said inaccurate recordkeeping has created undue alarm that the number of women who die while pregnant or soon after giving birth is rising. The maternal mortality rate is stable, they report, and deaths due to complications have dropped.
Gillispie-Bell said systemic racism results in economic insecurity and poor access to health care, which can lead to elevated maternal mortality among Black women. And implicit bias may cause different and potentially distressing treatment of Black women by doctors unaware they are doing it , she added.
The checkbox method led to a purported 144% rise in maternal mortality in women aged 15-44, between 1999 and 2002 and 2018 and 2021 . For Black women, the alternative method showed 25.7 deaths per 100,000 births from 1999 to 2002 and 23.8 deaths per 100,000 births from 2018 to 2021. Both figures are double the overall rates, and Black women were also more likely to experience conditions like high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy, according to the researchers.