CDC’s Latest Report: Over 80% of US Maternal Deaths are Preventable

By Kandyce Hylick, MPH

The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was unveiled at the Mom Congress congressional briefing titled “Saving and Supporting Moms” on Tuesday, September 20th, highlights the ongoing maternal health crisis in the United States.

The report notes that 80% of maternal deaths in the U.S. are preventable. These conclusions were drawn from 2017-2019 data from the Maternal Mortality Review Committees, which participated in the CDC’s Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality project. The director of CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion stated:

“The report paints a much clearer picture of pregnancy-related deaths in the country. The majority of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable, highlighting the need for quality improvement initiatives in states, hospitals, and communities that ensure all people who are pregnant or postpartum get the right care at the right time.”

The report highlights how timing plays a significant role in the deaths. Over 50% of pregnancy-related deaths occurred between 7 days to 1 year after pregnancy. In addition, 22% of deaths occurred during pregnancy, and 25% occurred between the day of delivery and 7 days after.

The leading causes of pregnancy-related death include:

• Mental health conditions (including deaths to suicide and overdose/poisoning related to substance use disorder) (23%)

• Excessive bleeding (hemorrhage) (14%)

• Cardiac and coronary conditions (relating to the heart) (13%)

• Infection (9%)

• Thrombotic embolism (a type of blood clot) (9%)

• Cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle) (9%)

• Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (relating to high blood pressure (7%)

Race/Ethnicity and Maternal Mortality

While maternal mortality affects everyone in the United States, certain underlying causes impact some races or ethnicities more severely. Among American Indian or Alaska Native populations, mental health conditions and hemorrhage were more prevalent. The leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths among non-Hispanic Black people were cardiac and coronary conditions. Mental health conditions were the leading underlying cause for Hispanic and non-Hispanic White people, and hemorrhage was the leading underlying cause for non-Hispanic Asian people.

What can we do now?

This data highlights the important work the U.S. healthcare system must do to prevent maternal death for all those who are pregnant/postpartum and further highlights the disparities in maternal health, especially during the postpartum period. Mom Congress is working to advance policy in support of preventing maternal deaths, including prioritizing the passage of the Midwives for Moms Act and other policies in the 2022 Moms’ Agenda.

The CDC press release was the first report to be released under the CDC-funded program, Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality.

Learn more about the work Mom Congress is doing to address maternal mortality and racial disparities.