Black women hit hardest as maternal death rates soar in US
1 year, 5 months ago

Black women hit hardest as maternal death rates soar in US

Al Jazeera  

US maternal mortality rate findings should be ‘call to action’, researcher says, as deaths more than double in 20 years. Overall, the number of deaths per 100,000 live births rose from 12.7 to 32.2 in that 20-year span, while the number of deaths among Black women increased from 26.7 to 55.4. The greatest jump over time was seen among American Indian and Alaska Native women, however – from 14 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1999 to 49.2 in 2009. “Systemic barriers, together with a failure to recognize, respect and listen to patients of color, has meant that Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women, regardless of income or education, experience a greater share of these grave outcomes, as do rural women.” According to the study released Monday, southern US states had high maternal mortality across all race and ethnicity groups, but especially for Black individuals, while Midwest and Great Plains states had the highest rates for American Indian and Alaskan Native women. Between 1999 and 2019, the number of deaths per 100,000 live births rose from 9.6 to 20.9 among Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women; from 9.6 to 19.1 among Hispanic women, and from 9.4 to 26.3 among white women, the researchers said.

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History of this topic

High rates of preterm birth and infant deaths get the US another D+ grade: ‘It’s a travesty’
1 month, 1 week ago

High rates of preterm birth and infant deaths get the US another D+ grade: ‘It’s a travesty’

CNN  

CNN — Being rushed to a hospital nearly two hours away, in the middle of a dangerous spring storm – with fear in her heart and amniotic fluid leaking down her leg – was not how Ashley O’Neil expected her first pregnancy to go. “That means that over 370,000 babies – that’s 1 in 10 babies – are born too …

High rates of preterm birth and infant deaths get the US another D+ grade: ‘It’s a travesty’
1 month, 1 week ago

High rates of preterm birth and infant deaths get the US another D+ grade: ‘It’s a travesty’

CNN  

CNN — Being rushed to a hospital nearly two hours away, in the middle of a dangerous spring storm – with fear in her heart and amniotic fluid leaking down her leg – was not how Ashley O’Neil expected her first pregnancy to go. “That means that over 370,000 babies – that’s 1 in 10 babies – are born too …

Health groups call for suspending state plan on maternal deaths, saying it burdens patients
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Health groups call for suspending state plan on maternal deaths, saying it burdens patients

LA Times  

Dana Sherrod, executive director of the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice, at the organization’s MacArthur Park offices in Los Angeles. Dozens of maternal health organizations and advocates are urging the California surgeon general to suspend the rollout of a plan aimed at reducing maternal mortality, saying that the recently announced initiative won’t effectively address the crisis and “risks exacerbating …

Takeaways from AP’s report on government programs tackling the US maternal death crisis
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Takeaways from AP’s report on government programs tackling the US maternal death crisis

Associated Press  

Across the U.S., programs at all levels of government — federal, state and local — are striving to reduce maternal mortality and erase the racial gap. “You try to get them in their first trimester and then work with them to delivery day, and then we also work with the babies to make sure that they reach their milestones.” Healthy …

Takeaways from AP’s report on what the US can learn from other nations about maternal deaths
4 months ago

Takeaways from AP’s report on what the US can learn from other nations about maternal deaths

Associated Press  

How can the U.S. solve its growing maternal mortality crisis? Public health experts blame the United States’ high rates on a range of problems, such as inequities in getting needed health care, systemic racism, at times poor-quality medical care and a rise in chronic conditions among women of childbearing age. Regular care means problems are spotted and treated early, said …

Why does the US have such a high maternal mortality rate?
4 months, 1 week ago

Why does the US have such a high maternal mortality rate?

Al Jazeera  

Experts say the US’s method for recording maternal deaths obscures underlying causes that need to be addressed. The US has the highest maternal mortality rate of all high-income countries, at 22 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to analysis published by the Commonwealth Fund in June. Some studies suggest that the high rate of US maternal mortality can be attributed …

US infant mortality increased in 2022 for the first time in decades, CDC report shows
4 months, 4 weeks ago

US infant mortality increased in 2022 for the first time in decades, CDC report shows

CNN  

CNN — The infant mortality rate in the United States rose in 2022, the first jump in 20 years, according to data released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of infant deaths from maternal complications jumped 9% between 2021 to 2022, from about 30 infant deaths for every 100,000 live births to more than …

Maternal deaths have fallen to pre-pandemic levels, new US data says
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Maternal deaths have fallen to pre-pandemic levels, new US data says

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — U.S. deaths of moms around the time of childbirth have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, new government data suggests. “In the last five years we’ve really not improved on lowering the maternal death rate in our country, so there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Ashley Stoneburner, the March of Dimes’ director of applied research …

How To Better Protect Yourself As a Black Birthing Person
8 months, 4 weeks ago

How To Better Protect Yourself As a Black Birthing Person

Huff Post  

A few days after coming home from the hospital, I knew something was seriously wrong. Those stories helped my team and I to create a pregnancy app — one designed to serve the health of pregnant women, not only the babies — as well as develop steps that people of color can take to better arm and inform themselves so …

How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? A new study says it's been overestimated
9 months, 1 week ago

How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? A new study says it's been overestimated

NPR  

How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics' most recent report put the U.S. maternal mortality rate at a whopping 32.9 deaths per 100,000 births. A new study suggests the national U.S. maternal mortality rate is actually much lower than that: 10.4 deaths per 100,000 births. "Maternal deaths may be related to poor …

Maternal mortality: Pregnancy is 'shockingly dangerous'
11 months, 1 week ago

Maternal mortality: Pregnancy is 'shockingly dangerous'

Hindustan Times  

Almost 300,000 people died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2020. The UN report says there had been a small decrease between the years 2000 and 2015, but that since 2016 the global maternal mortality rate has stagnated. "The Sustainable Development Goal target is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births …

Being Black and pregnant in the Deep South can be a dangerous combination
1 year ago

Being Black and pregnant in the Deep South can be a dangerous combination

Salon  

O’laysha Davis was a few weeks shy of her due date when in mid-August she decided it was time to switch doctors. Like you don’t have a choice.” Davis had given birth twice before and knew from experience that Black women, like herself, and their infants face higher health risks during pregnancy and childbirth. “This type of legislation uniquely impacts …

Rise in infant mortality shows that the US needs to take better care of its moms
1 year, 1 month ago

Rise in infant mortality shows that the US needs to take better care of its moms

Live Mint  

New provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer a horrible statistic: The infant death rate in the US rose by 3% in 2022 to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, the first significant increase in about 20 years. We should consider even one year’s reversal in infant deaths, a rate already exceeding that of America’s …

The US infant mortality rate rose last year. The CDC says it’s the largest increase in two decades
1 year, 1 month ago

The US infant mortality rate rose last year. The CDC says it’s the largest increase in two decades

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The U.S. infant mortality rate rose 3% last year — the largest increase in two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national rate rose to 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, up from from 5.44 per 1,000 the year before, the new report said. More than 30 states saw …

Birth can be dismal for Black women. What this hospital is doing to stop that
1 year, 3 months ago

Birth can be dismal for Black women. What this hospital is doing to stop that

LA Times  

Brianna Mckenzie was feverish and shaking in her bed as night drew near at MLK Community Hospital. Nurse Midwife Angela Sojobi, middle, checks on patient Brianna Mckenzie in the labor and delivery unit at MLK Community Hospital in August. In general, “you really don’t need a doctor — until you need a doctor.” Holly Smith, health policy chair of the …

Maternal deaths in the US more than doubled over two decades. Black mothers died at the highest rate
1 year, 5 months ago

Maternal deaths in the US more than doubled over two decades. Black mothers died at the highest rate

Associated Press  

Maternal deaths across the U.S. more than doubled over the course of two decades, and the tragedy unfolded unequally. “It’s a call to action to all of us to understand the root causes — to understand that some of it is about health care and access to health care, but a lot of it is about structural racism and the …

Black maternal deaths keep rising. These doulas want to reverse that grim trend
1 year, 5 months ago

Black maternal deaths keep rising. These doulas want to reverse that grim trend

CNN  

CNN — “Sixteen years ago, I almost died giving birth,” Ebonie Karma Tudor said, recalling the birth of her son. The new study “seems to contradict the data at the national level where maternal mortality is increasing, because most of the women don’t die in the hospital during childbirth; they die after they left the hospital after childbirth,” said Dr. …

Study reveals toll of being Black in U.S.: 1.6 million excess deaths over 22 years
1 year, 7 months ago

Study reveals toll of being Black in U.S.: 1.6 million excess deaths over 22 years

LA Times  

Research has long shown that Black people live sicker lives and die younger than white people. Now a new study, published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA, casts the nation’s racial inequities in stark relief, finding that the higher mortality rate among Black Americans resulted in 1.63 million excess deaths relative to white Americans over more than two decades. We …

Over 4.5 million women and babies die every year during pregnancy, claims UN
1 year, 7 months ago

Over 4.5 million women and babies die every year during pregnancy, claims UN

India TV News  

More than 4.5 million women and babies die every year during pregnancy, childbirth or the first weeks after birth -- equivalent to one death happening every seven seconds -- mostly from preventable or treatable causes, according to a new report from the United Nations on Tuesday. The report, improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth, shows that …

National Safe Motherhood Day 2023: NSMD Date, Theme, History & Significance
1 year, 8 months ago

National Safe Motherhood Day 2023: NSMD Date, Theme, History & Significance

The Quint  

We all know how important women are for the society and we need to appreciate their contribution in taking forward the human life. According to the stats by WHO, - Approximately 830 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. - In women maternal mortality is higher basically living in rural areas and among poorer communities. …

Maternal deaths surged during the pandemic. How California is fighting that trend
1 year, 9 months ago

Maternal deaths surged during the pandemic. How California is fighting that trend

LA Times  

Deaths of pregnant women surged during the pandemic, according to new federal data. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times the rate for white women at 26.6 deaths. “We’ve been dreading to see the actual numbers,” said Dr. Elliott Main, medical director for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, …

US pregnancy deaths dropped in 2022, after COVID spike
1 year, 9 months ago

US pregnancy deaths dropped in 2022, after COVID spike

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Deaths of pregnant women in the U.S. fell in 2022, dropping significantly from a six-decade high during the pandemic, new data suggests. “The surge was COVID-related.” Previous government analyses concluded that one quarter of maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021 were COVID-related — meaning that the entire increase in maternal deaths was due to coronavirus infections or …

One woman dies every 2 minutes in pregnancy, childbirth: United Nations
1 year, 10 months ago

One woman dies every 2 minutes in pregnancy, childbirth: United Nations

The Hindu  

A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth complications, despite maternal mortality rates dropping by a third in 20 years, the United Nations said on February 23. The overall maternal mortality rate dropped by 34.3% over a 20-year period — from 339 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 223 maternal deaths in 2020, according …

One woman dies every 2 minutes during pregnancy or childbirth: UN
1 year, 10 months ago

One woman dies every 2 minutes during pregnancy or childbirth: UN

Deccan Chronicle  

GENEVA: A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth complications, despite maternal mortality rates dropping by a third in 20 years, the United Nations said Thursday. The overall maternal mortality rate dropped by 34.3 percent over a 20-year period -- from 339 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 223 maternal deaths in 2020, according …

‘Shockingly dangerous’: WHO raises alarm on pregnancy risks
1 year, 10 months ago

‘Shockingly dangerous’: WHO raises alarm on pregnancy risks

Al Jazeera  

UN health agency says one woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth mostly from treatable conditions. The World Health Organization says one woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest data, with too few countries in the world managing to substantially reduce maternal death rates since 2016. “These new statistics reveal the urgent …

Childbirth Is Deadlier for Black Families Even When They’re Rich, Expansive Study Finds
1 year, 10 months ago

Childbirth Is Deadlier for Black Families Even When They’re Rich, Expansive Study Finds

New York Times  

New data from California shows that, for every 100,000 births, 173 of the babies born to the richest white mothers die before their first birthday. Preterm births per 100,000 Infant Deaths per 100,000 12,000 400 350 11,000 300 10,000 250 9,000 200 8,000 150 Family income rank Family income rank 20th 40th 60th 80th 20th 40th 60th 80th Poorer Richer …

Maternal deaths and disparities increase in Mississippi
1 year, 10 months ago

Maternal deaths and disparities increase in Mississippi

Associated Press  

— Deaths from pregnancy complications have become more prevalent in Mississippi, and racial disparities in the health of those who give birth have widened in recent years, according to a report released Thursday by the state’s Department of Health. Mississippi’s Republican-controlled state legislature has been debating whether to extend Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year after childbirth, …

COVID-19 linked to increase in US pregnancy-related deaths
2 years, 2 months ago

COVID-19 linked to increase in US pregnancy-related deaths

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims, according to a government report released Wednesday. “This really shows that COVID-19 has exacerbated that crisis to rates that we, as a country, are …

Race gap seen in US infant deaths after fertility treatment
2 years, 2 months ago

Race gap seen in US infant deaths after fertility treatment

Associated Press  

Black-white disparities exist in fertility medicine, reflected in life-and-death outcomes for babies, according to a large study of U.S. births. The findings suggest women seeking fertility treatment are not protected from racism despite their relative affluence, said Dr. Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, head of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California San Diego medical school. “We all need to pay more …

The End Of Roe v. Wade Would Be A Disaster For Black Mothers
2 years, 6 months ago

The End Of Roe v. Wade Would Be A Disaster For Black Mothers

Huff Post  

This article is part of a larger series titled “The End Of Roe.” Head here to When a draft decision that would fully overturn Roe v. Wade and end abortion access for millions of women leaked in early May, Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the decision, had a curious and inflammatory aside. Black women in the U.S. already face a …

‘A fight against White supremacy’ advocates say abortion bans create economic hardships for Black and brown women
2 years, 7 months ago

‘A fight against White supremacy’ advocates say abortion bans create economic hardships for Black and brown women

CNN  

CNN — The first time Kenya Martin got an abortion, she was a 19-year-old college student who felt she wasn’t old enough or mature enough to raise a child. “Kids don’t deserve to be brought into a life of poverty.” The threat to abortion access has underscored the economic hardships and maternal health crisis that Black and brown women face, …

US abortion trends have changed since landmark 1973 ruling
2 years, 7 months ago

US abortion trends have changed since landmark 1973 ruling

Associated Press  

The abortion landscape has changed in the United States since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. —The 2019 rate was 11.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, compared with 16.3 per 1,000 in 1973. —In 1973, there were more than 160 pregnancies per 1,000 women in their 20s, compared with about 110 per 1,000 by …

Pregnancy-related deaths climbed in pandemic’s first year
2 years, 10 months ago

Pregnancy-related deaths climbed in pandemic’s first year

Associated Press  

Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. mothers climbed higher in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released Wednesday. Among Black people, there were 55 maternal deaths per 100,000 births — almost triple the rate for whites. Many people put off medical care early in the pandemic for fear of catching …

Pregnancy-related deaths climbed in pandemic’s first year
2 years, 10 months ago

Pregnancy-related deaths climbed in pandemic’s first year

LA Times  

Cots and cribs are arranged in Sandy, Utah, at a care site set up amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. mothers climbed in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released Wednesday. Among Black people, there were 55 maternal deaths per 100,000 births — almost triple the …

US maternal deaths rise during pandemic amid racial disparities
2 years, 10 months ago

US maternal deaths rise during pandemic amid racial disparities

Al Jazeera  

Maternal deaths among Black people are almost triple the rate for white Americans. Pregnancy-related deaths for mothers in the United States climbed higher in the coronavirus pandemic’s first year, according to a government report, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people. In fact, the last time the US rate was officially this high was in 1968, though a …

Lower death rates for Black moms is goal of California bill
3 years, 2 months ago

Lower death rates for Black moms is goal of California bill

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has among the lowest death rates nationally among pregnant women and new mothers, but the numbers for Black mothers tell a different story. From 2014 to 2016 in California, about 56 Black women died per 100,000 live births, compared to 13 Asians, 11 Latinas and fewer than 10 whites. California’s Black women died at six times …

California bill aims to reduce deaths among Black mothers
3 years, 2 months ago

California bill aims to reduce deaths among Black mothers

LA Times  

Mashariki Kudumu, the maternal and infant health director for the March of Dimes in Los Angeles, is a cosponsor of the “Momnibus” bill. California has among the lowest death rates nationally among pregnant women and new mothers, but the numbers for Black mothers tell a different story. “If you really want to address the issue, it is going to take …

Opinion: To end America’s maternal mortality crisis, dismantle the racism that fuels it
3 years, 5 months ago

Opinion: To end America’s maternal mortality crisis, dismantle the racism that fuels it

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Stacey D. Stewart is president and CEO of the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization that supports mothers and babies’ health through research, advocacy and education. Stacey D. Stewart Courtesy of Stacey D. Stewart/Delores Holloway Richard Besser c/o Robert Wood Johnson Foundation To achieve birth equity and justice – the idea that all who give birth should have …

Editorial: Black new mothers are dying at unacceptably high rates. We have to confront that
3 years, 7 months ago

Editorial: Black new mothers are dying at unacceptably high rates. We have to confront that

LA Times  

Childbirth has always been perilous for women. In California, which has a lower rate of maternal death than the country as a whole, the disparity is even wider for Black and Indigenous women; in recent years, they have died from complications of childbirth at three to four times the rate of white women. The reasons maternal death is higher among …

Op-Ed: How to change an American medical system that harms Black maternal health
3 years, 7 months ago

Op-Ed: How to change an American medical system that harms Black maternal health

LA Times  

The current state of Black maternal health in the United States is a grim indication that we as a country have lost our way. Despite advances in reproductive technologies and safe motherhood initiatives, hospitals do not keep Black women and people who are pregnant or recently gave birth safe during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. The dire statistics showing premature death …

Black moms are more likely to die in childbirth. Will Congress do anything about it?
3 years, 7 months ago

Black moms are more likely to die in childbirth. Will Congress do anything about it?

LA Times  

Lawmakers pushing to address the nation’s rising maternal death rate — particularly among Black women — heard testimony Thursday on what Congress can do to address the problem The rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. is the worst of any industrialized country, and the number of such deaths has steadily risen over the last 30 years, according to the …

Harris highlights pregnancy difficulties facing Black women
3 years, 8 months ago

Harris highlights pregnancy difficulties facing Black women

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — One Black mother said she nearly died after her son was born following an earlier miscarriage and a stillbirth. “We didn’t see this coming,” Donna Trim-Stewart, the grandmother, said at a White House- To mark Black Maternal Health Week, Vice President Kamala Harris led a discussion Tuesday of the issues that make African American women two to three …

Black women least likely to have successful IVF treatment, new study shows
3 years, 9 months ago

Black women least likely to have successful IVF treatment, new study shows

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While overall birth rates from fertility treatment have increased and are highest …

As a Black woman, I had to beg doctors to take me seriously when my brain was leaking
4 years, 1 month ago

As a Black woman, I had to beg doctors to take me seriously when my brain was leaking

LA Times  

I lost hearing in my left ear. Studies have confirmed that many doctors often either don’t hear Black women or see their pain. The headline: “Man’s runny nose turns out to be leaking brain fluid.” Most of his symptoms were identical to mine. I watched a documentary about one of the world’s greatest athletes — Serena Williams — nearly dying …

Why are so many black women still dying in childbirth?
4 years, 4 months ago

Why are so many black women still dying in childbirth?

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

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