Maternal Mortality Way Up over Last Two Years

Since the beginning of the pandemic, maternal mortality rates in the US have gone up by a stunning 33% for all women, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers’ work adds to a growing body of knowledge demonstrating that health outcomes for mothers is slipping, and the health care system is failing Black and Hispanic women especially, with mortality far greater than that of their white counterparts. 

The study investigated the health outcomes of new mothers for a period of 42 days after giving birth. The investigators found that Covid-19 had a sizeable impact on mortality. Researchers believe that both direct infection and an overburdened healthcare system were factors in the increase.

Across all races, mortality increased, although the effect was disproportionate, with Hispanic women experiencing a 79% increase from pre-pandemic levels. Black mothers saw a 40% increase in mortality during the time period, while white women saw mortality rise 17%.

While it would be some measure of relief if this were an anomaly related solely to the pandemic, the truth is that these rates only reflect longer-term trends, albeit with some dramatic increases attributable to a global pandemic.