F.Y.I. —

Pregnancy-Related Deaths Happen Before, During, And Up To A Year After Delivery

Pregnancy-related deaths can occur up to a year after a woman gives birth – but whenever they occur, most of these deaths are preventable, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report.

Of the 700 pregnancy-related deaths that happen each year in the United States, nearly 31% happen during pregnancy, 36% happen during delivery or the week after, and 33% happen one week to one year after delivery.

Overall, heart disease and stroke caused more than 1 in 3 (34%) pregnancy-related deaths. Other leading causes included infections and severe bleeding. The leading causes of death varied by the timing of the pregnancy-related death.

The findings are the result of a CDC analysis of 2011-2015 national data on pregnancy mortality and of 2013-2017 detailed data from 13 state maternal mortality review committees. CDC defines pregnancy-related death as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy from a pregnancy complication; a chain of events initiated by pregnancy; or the aggravation of an unrelated condition by the physiologic effects of pregnancy.

The data confirm persistent racial disparities: Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women were about three times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as white women. However, the new analysis also found that most deaths were preventable, regardless of race or ethnicity.

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