Study Reveals Doubling of Maternal Deaths During Pandemic

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal health in the U.S.

News Summary

A recent study conducted by Brown University and its collaborators found that maternal deaths in the U.S. doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research indicates that the adjusted mortality rate reached 18.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021, significantly surpassing previous decades. Disruptions in prenatal and postpartum care, along with systemic healthcare inequities, contributed to this alarming trend. The study highlights the urgent need for improved maternal health tracking and funding to address these disparities.

Providence, Rhode Island – A new study has revealed that maternal deaths in the United States doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. This alarming increase was highlighted in research conducted by experts from Brown University, Columbia University, and the University of Oxford, published in JAMA Pediatrics on a recent Monday. The adjusted rate of maternal deaths reached 18.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021, significantly higher than the rates observed in the previous two decades, which ranged between 6.8 to 10.2 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The researchers analyzed maternal mortality data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spanning from 2000 to 2023. They found that the increase in maternal deaths was evident across nearly all age and racial groups, with the South experiencing the most significant rise during this period. Meanwhile, the Northeast was the only region where the change in maternal death rates did not show any statistical significance.

The study’s findings correlate the spike in maternal deaths primarily to pandemic-related disruptions of essential prenatal and postpartum care. Contributing factors to the increased mortality rates include heightened exposure to infections and long-standing inequities within the healthcare system. Despite this substantial rise in 2021, maternal mortality rates returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

The senior researcher on the study noted that data indicated elevated death rates for pregnant women during the pandemic when compared to previous years. The analysis revealed that from 2000 to 2020, there was minimal change in the overall maternal mortality rate in the U.S., challenging prior assumptions that maternal mortality had been steadily rising over the past two decades.

Among the significant findings of the research was the confirmation of existing racial disparities concerning maternal outcomes. The data showed that Black women experienced maternal death rates that were two to four times higher than those of white women. Additionally, among the alarming statistics, infant mortality rates among Black infants remained consistently high.

This study also highlights the impact of changes to death reporting systems, such as the introduction of a checkbox on death certificates for indicating if the deceased was pregnant. This has consequences for understanding trends in maternal mortality, and future research efforts will focus on how these changes affect demographic data and illuminate shifts in reproductive care trends.

The study underscores the urgent need for robust systems capable of tracking and analyzing maternal and infant health data to inform healthcare policies. As the research community examines these trends, it is essential to advocate for increased funding in maternal health research, particularly given the recent cuts in federal health agency budgets.

In summary, the new research from Brown University and its collaborators paints a troubling picture of maternal health in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. With significant increases in maternal mortality rates and exacerbated racial disparities, the findings call for focused action and funding to enhance maternal healthcare and address inequalities within the system.