Rising Maternal Mortality Rate Causes Alarm, Calls For Action

"Each day in the U.S., two women die of problems related to pregnancy or childbirth. The numbers have been rising, for reasons that are not entirely clear."

"Nationally, the rate, defined as deaths from obstetrical causes within one year of giving birth, rose from 7.6 per 100,000 to 13.3 per 100,000." (emphasis mine)

Rising maternal mortality rate causes alarm, calls for action

This excellent article discusses the rising problem of maternal mortality, and some of the possible causes including: the rising c-section rate, increasing use of medical labor induction, and the changing profile of American mothers (more older women having babies).

The problem is baffling for experts, because high death rates are common in poor countries where women don't have access to adequate prenatal care. The United States, however, spends the most money on health care, yet has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality.

"Though the U.S. spends more per birth than any other nation, maternal mortality is higher here than in 40 other industrialized countries, including Croatia, Hungary and Macedonia, and is double that of Canada and much of Western Europe."

"That the United States is backsliding in this most basic of healthcare measures has triggered attention and alarm in medical circles. In January, the Joint Commission, an independent organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations and programs, issued a "sentinel event alert" warning of the rising maternal mortality rates.

"In March, the human rights organization Amnesty International released its own report, 'Deadly Delivery,' calling for sweeping changes in maternal healthcare in the U.S."

"The California Department of Public Health has commissioned a statewide review of medical charts in maternal death cases to identify reasons for the rise and seek ways to improve."

"'Mothers shouldn't die in childbirth,' said Dr. Elliott Main, chief of obstetrics at Sutter Health and director of the ongoing California review. The trend, he said, may signal a much larger problem with U.S. maternal healthcare."

Here are some more articles on the subject:

It's Now More Dangerous to Give Birth in California Than It Is in Kuwait or Bosnia

Revealing the Real Risks: Obstetrical Interventions and Maternal Mortality

New Moms at Risk - Maternal Death Rates Increasing

Maternal death rates are on the rise, and it's getting some well-deserved attention. In our world of modern obstetrics with advanced technology, one would think that fewer mothers would be dying during or after childbirth, but the opposite is true.

It's Now More Dangerous to Give Birth in California Than it is in Kuwait or Bosnia

That article caught my attention. It was a bit shocking to see the statistics and realize the real impact this is having on real mothers and their families.

According to the statistics from California, the increase in mothers dying is the result of the overuse of interventions such as c-sections and medical induction.

C-section rates are higher than ever. The US has an overall c-section rate of about 33%, with hospitals in some areas boasting rates close to 50%. That means that in the United States, 1 out of every 3 babies is born by c-section. The World Health Organization recommends a safe c-section rate for developed countries (like the United States) is 10-15%. They also state that when the c-section rate is more than 15% the risks outweigh the benefits and more mothers and babies are at risk for complications. Complications that are completely avoidable.

Amnesty International is concerned and advocating for changes in maternal health care:

"According to Amnesty, which gathered data from many sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately half of the pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable, the result of systemic failures, including barriers to accessing care; inadequate, neglectful or discriminatory care; and overuse of risky interventions like inducing labor and delivering via cesarean section. 'Women are not dying from complex, mysterious causes that we don't know how to treat,' says Strauss. 'Women are dying because it's a fragmented system, and they are not getting the comprehensive services that they need.'"

"In the U.S., we spend more than any country on health care, yet American women are at greater risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes than in 40 other countries."

(Amnesty International Report on U.S. Maternal Health)

ABC has reported about the statistics in California and brought some much-needed attention to this problem. One thing they recommend in this video: avoid unnecessary interventions during pregnancy and birth. This means avoiding induction, scheduled c-sections and other interventions unless they are medically necessary.

What do you think? What else can women do to protect themselves from the dangers of overaggressive obstetrics?

2007 US C-Section Rates by State

1 New Jersey 38.3

2 Florida 37.2

3 Mississippi 36.2

4 Louisiana 35.9

5 West Virginia 35.2

6 Arkansas 34.8

7 Connecticut* 34.6

8 Kentucky* 34.6

9 Alabama 33.8

10 New York* 33.7

11 Texas* 33.7

12 Oklahoma 33.6

13 Massachusetts* 33.5

14 Virginia* 33.5

15 South Carolina 33.4

16 Tennessee 33.3

17 Maryland* 33.1

18 Nevada* 33.1

19 Rhode Island 32.2

20 California* 32.1

21 Delaware* 32.1

22 Georgia 32

23 Nebraska 30.9

24 New Hampshire 30.8

25 North Carolina 30.7

26 Michigan 30.4

27 Illinois* 30.3

28 Missouri* 30.3

29 Pennsylvania 30.1

30 Maine 30

31 Kansas* 29.8

32 Ohio* 29.8

33 Indiana* 29.4

34 Iowa* 29.4

35 Montana* 29.4

36 Washington 29

37 North Dakota 28.4

38 Oregon 28.2

39 Wyoming 26.9

40 Vermont 26.8

41 South Dakota 26.6

42 Hawaii 26.4

43 Arizona* 26.2

44 Minnesota* 26.2

45 Colorado 25.8

46 Wisconsin 25

47 Idaho 24

48 New Mexico 23.3

49 Alaska 22.6

50 Utah 22.2

* Tie

SOURCE: National Vital Statistics System, National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 57, No. 12.

Click here for Canada C-Section rates and map.