Black Maternal Deaths Remain High Despite Overall Decline In U.S.

While maternal deaths in the U.S. declined in 2023, Black women still died at more than three times the rate of white women during pregnancy or childbirth, highlighting widening racial disparities in maternal health.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s just-released annual report showed that 669 women died in 2023 of pregnancy-related causes, a drop from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic drove maternal deaths to a 50-year high, the Associated Press reported.

However, while maternal deaths among white, Hispanic and Asian women declined, Black women’s maternal death rate did not improve.

“Once we went back to ‘usual activities,’ then the impact of systemic racism and unequal access (to medical care) … came right back into place,” Dr. Amanda Williams, interim medical director for the March of Dimes, told the AP.

The CDC report, based on death certificates, includes women who died during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days after having a baby.

The findings?

Black women had 50 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2023, up slightly from 49.5 in 2022.
White women’s rate dropped from 19 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 14.5 in 2023.
Hispanic women saw a decline from 17 to 12 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Asian American women also saw a decrease, from 13 to 11 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Common causes of maternal deaths included excessive bleeding, blood vessel blockages and infections such as COVID-19.

During the worst of the pandemic, burned-out physicians may have overlooked concerns from pregnant women, adding to risks, some experts suspect, according to the AP.

Several factors may be contributing to the overall decline in maternal deaths.

Federal Medicaid now covers postpartum care for up to 12 months instead of just seven weeks. Williams said that helped ensure better recovery for moms post-birth.

Another factor: U.S. birth rates have declined and fewer pregnancies mean fewer pregnancy-related deaths, said Eugene Declercq, a Boston University researcher who studies maternal deaths.

The CDC is still processing 2024 maternal death reports, but data suggest the numbers are likely similar to 2023, Declercq told the AP.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on ways to reduce Black maternal deaths.

SOURCE: Associated Press, media report, Feb. 6, 2025

Source: HealthDay