80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, CDC says, highlighting a problem seen in Philly

Sep. 22—More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The findings in the federal report echo a troubling trend seen in Philadelphia, where 110 people died while pregnant or in the year after giving birth between 2013 and 2018, according the most recent figures from a city committee tasked with combating a persistent problem exacerbated by racial disparities.

The U.S. has long had the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, and Black people are four times more likely than white people to die of pregnancy-related causes. The latest CDC data suggest that pregnancy-related deaths have persisted despite increased attention to the issue.

The new CDC report includes data from 1,018 pregnancy-related deaths in 36 states, gathered by state-based maternal mortality review committees. These committees are tasked with analyzing pregnancy-related deaths to better understand causes and potential solutions.

New moms keep dying in the weeks after birth, and the risk remains highest among Black women

While much of the efforts to reduce maternal mortality have been focused on the time immediately before, during, and after birth, of equal concern is what happens in the weeks and months after the new family returns home.

More than half of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. between 2017 and 2018 occurred between one week and one year after birth, according to the CDC. Another 25% of deaths occurred on the day of delivery or within one week, and 22% occurred during pregnancy.

In Philadelphia, where the maternal mortality rate exceeds the national average, more than half of the 110 pregnancy-associated deaths between 2013 and 2018 occurred at least six weeks after birth, according to an analysis by the city's own maternal mortality review committee.

By then, many new parents are without the social and medical support they need to quickly recognize and address health problems that may arise, such as postpartum depression and substance abuse disorder.

Mental health conditions were a factor in 23% of pregnancy-related deaths between 2017 and 2019, the CDC reported. That includes deaths related to suicide, drug overdoses, and substance abuse disorder.

Other leading underlying conditions included: excessive bleeding (hemorrhage), heart conditions, infection, blood clots, and high blood pressure.

Racial inequity, poverty, and a lack of access to health services all contribute to maternal mortality in the year after birth.

Addressing what happens to a family when they leave the hospital is the only way to keep more mothers from dying, Aasta Mehta, the medical officer for women's health at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and a chair of the city's maternal mortality review committee, told The Inquirer in June.

"The societal impact of mothers dying is important and deep," she said. "They're leaving families and children behind. The generational impact of that is immense."

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