The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report showing the number of women dying while pregnant or soon after giving birth in the U.S. has decreased in 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels. This is a positive sign after a worrisome spike in maternal mortality in 2021. The maternal mortality rate in 2022 was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 32.9 in 2021. While this is an improvement, Black women continue to be disproportionately affected, with a maternal mortality rate of 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022. There is still a long way to go in developing interventions to decrease mortality rates, particularly among Black women and women of color.
The accuracy of maternal mortality data has been a longstanding issue, with deaths among pregnant women not always being counted due to problems with medical coding. In 2003, the NCHS recommended a standardized checkbox on death certificates to indicate whether the death occurred in a pregnant or recently pregnant woman. However, a recent study suggested that this checkbox rule may have overestimated maternal mortality rates because it did not consider mental health conditions as a factor. Mental health conditions, including drug and alcohol use disorder, are the most common cause of death during or just after pregnancy, according to CDC data. The NCHS continues to refine the quality of the data to provide a more accurate picture of maternal mortality.
Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, an OB-GYN at Ochsner Medical Center in Louisiana, disagreed with the findings of the recent study, stating that mental health conditions must be taken into account when assessing maternal mortality. She is also the medical director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and emphasized the importance of addressing mental health issues in maternal care. Dr. Warner Huh, an OB-GYN at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, stressed that while the numbers are improving, maternal mortality rates are still too high. There is a need to continue working towards preventing maternal deaths and ensuring the safety of all mothers during pregnancy and childbirth.
The decrease in maternal mortality rates in 2022 is a positive development, indicating progress in improving maternal health outcomes in the U.S. However, disparities persist, with Black women facing higher rates of maternal mortality compared to other racial groups. Efforts to address these disparities and develop interventions to reduce maternal deaths, particularly among Black women and women of color, are crucial. The CDC and other organizations are working to improve the accuracy of maternal mortality data and better understand the factors contributing to maternal deaths. Continued research and advocacy are essential to ensure that all mothers have access to quality care and support throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
