What’s Behind America’s Soaring Maternal Mortality Rate?

Maternal deaths in the United States are following a worrying trend.of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. Mortality increased from 861 maternal deaths in 2020 to 1,205 in 2021, an overall increase of 40%.

Over 1,200 maternal deaths will bring the maternal mortality rate to 32.9 per 100,000 live births in 2021, compared with 23.8 in 2020 and 20.1 in 2019. Dr. Sandra Adamson FreihoferChairman of the AMA Board of Directors.

In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for black women was 69.9 per 100,000 live births. That’s 2.6 times the mortality rate for white women.

inside recent episodes Dr. Freihofer Joins Obstetrics, Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Experts as Part of ‘AMA Update’ Nicole Lee Plenty, MD, MPH, MSdiscuss the latest CDC data and what physicians and patients can do to improve maternal health outcomes.

Surprisingly, the U.S. maternal mortality rate is at its highest level since 1965. Freihofer said the reason is multifactorial.

Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Issues in healthcare access, underlying chronic diseases, and systemic racism and implicit bias all contribute to these bleak statistics.

Dr. Freihofer, an Atlanta internist, believes that social determinants of health are critical for black women and other patients from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups to “financially achieve physical and mental health.” You don’t get a fair chance,” he said.

Underlying comorbidities increase the risk of maternal mortality, said Dr. Plenty, an AMA member and chair of the panel. AMA Female Physician Section Steering Council.

“In many cases, patients are out of control leading up to pregnancy. That’s why people don’t get as much prenatal care and preconception care in the first trimester and before pregnancy,” she noted.

Dr. Plenty said controlling high blood pressure and diabetes before pregnancy could help offset the risk of complications later in pregnancy.

AMA has identified other factors that contribute to poor maternal outcomes. Inadequate insurance coverage before, during and after pregnancy. Lack of interprofessional teams trained in best practices. And maternity facilities are closed in many rural and urban communities.

AMA supports “Data Mapping Methods to Save Mothers’ Lives”. signed the law last year.

“This law will identify areas where maternal mortality is consistent with a lack of broadband services and ensure these areas have the potentially life-saving telemedicine services they need to get better care for pregnant women. The aim is to help make it available to the public,” said Dr. Freihofer.

AMA also advocates expanding access to medical, mental health care and social services for postpartum women. The American Relief Plans Act of 2021 provides a pathway to extend Medicaid coverage for pregnant women from 60 days postpartum to one year postpartum.

Click here for details AMA advocacy to improve maternal health.

Dr. Plenty, a practice in the Houston area, used telemedicine to create a podcast to educate patients about maternal health to improve patient outcomes.

“Virtual worlds are great for maternal and child health professionals because they can do a lot of pre-pregnancy care without the patient coming to the office,” she said. This feature was especially helpful during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Plenty’s Podcast “pregnant pearlsprovides advice on maternal health. Specifically, she guides patients on the questions they should ask their doctors.

She stressed that patients should speak up if they are not feeling well or have questions about medications or pregnancy symptoms.

“I always tell people: Advocate, defend, defend yourself. And if you want a second opinion, it doesn’t insult the first doctor.”

“AMA update‘ covers healthcare topics that impact the lives of doctors and patients. Hear from doctors and experts about public health, advocacy issues, sphere of action, and more. Because it matters who speaks.You can watch all episodes by subscribing to AMA YouTube Channel or Audio-only podcast versionwhich also features educational presentations and in-depth discussions.